J*  THE 


QUETTE 


POET-MISSIONARY    OF   LOUISIANA 


-' 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


LIFE    OF   THE 

ABBE   ADRIEN    ROQUETTE 

"CHAHTA-IMA" 


Compiled   and  Edited  by 

MRS  S.  B.  ELDER 

from  material  furnished 

by  friends. 

o  ♦c 


Published  under  auspices  of 

Bienville  Assembly,  Knights  of  Columbus, 

on  the  centenary  of  his  birth. 


NEW  ORLEANS, 
1913 

The  L.  U-abun  Co.,  Lcc'.,  43"  Cornnon  St.,  N.  O..  L&. 


RG»8£3 


Copyright,  1913, 

BY 

MRS.    SUSAN   B.   ELDER. 
All   rights   reserved. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Probably  one  of  the  most  striking  and  picturesque 
figures  in  the  later  history  of  the  lower  Mississippi  Val- 
ley is  that  of  the  Abbe  Rouquette,  who  lived  his  life  in 
and  about  New  Orleans.  Students  of  American  His- 
tory are  well  aware  of  La  Salle,  Bienville,  Audubon  and 
of  the  many  others  who  have  had  a  part  in  our  early 
Louisiana  development.  The  Abbe  Rouquette  seems  al- 
most to  have  been  the  last  of  that  long  series  of  pioneers 
who  instinctively  and  progressively  worked  from  within 
for  the  betterment  and  welfare  of  his  people. 

Himself  a  distinguished  scholar,  he  yet  was  imbued 
with  a  desire  to  help  forward  the  lowly — his  life's  greatest 
duty  was,  in  his  opinion,  the  mission  work  he  felt  drawn 
towards  among  the  Choctaw  Indians,  whose  last  villages, 
east  of  the  Mississippi,  were  near  Bayou  Lacombe,  just 
north  of  New  Orleans. 

The  Choctaw  Indians  in  Colonial  days  were  an  exten- 
sive tribe,  occupying  the  territory,  now  Alabama  and  Mis- 
sissippi, as  far  as  the  Lake  Pontchartrian  north  coast. 

The  tribe  have  interested  the  Ethnologist  because  of 
superior  qualities  and  traditions  that  seemd  to  indicate 
that  they  had  wandered  northward  from  old  Mexico  and 
were  probably  of  Aztec  origin.  Their  location  between  the 
English  plantations  of  the  lower  Atlantic  coast  and  the 
French  settlements  of  Louisiana,  made  them  of  consider- 
able political  interest. 

England  laid  claim  to  Carolina  with  an  extent  as  far 
West  as  the  Mississippi  River.    This  was  set  forth  by  Coxe 

461516 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

in  1740.  Some  years  later  traders  from  Charleston  came 
as  far  through  the  Choctaw  country  as  the  Mississippi. 
Tomahawks  and  firearms  were  traded  to  these  people,  and 
the  English  tried  to  get  them,  with  the  Chickasaws  and 
Natchez  to  surprise  and  exterminate  the  Louisiana  pion- 
eers. The  Choctaws  were  friendly,  however,  and  but  little 
progress  was  made  in  setting  them  against  their  French 
neighbors. 

Captain  Bernard  Romans  is  the  first  Englishman  to 
write  intimately  of  these  people,  an  exceedingly  rare  book 
to-day,  was  published  by  him  in  1775,  after  he  had  spent 
many  years  in  their  country.  This  book  is  a  famous  source 
book  and  seems  a  faithful  account  of  this  fine  Indian  peo- 
ple, who  were  then  quite  numerous,  according  to  Romans, 
having  some  seventy  villages. 

I  mention  Romans,  the  first  white  man  to  reside  with 
these  red  men,  to  draw  a  contrast  with  Pere  Rouquette, 
who  was  the  last  Caucasian  to  take  up  a  home  with  these 
people  prior  to  their  transmigration  to  the  Indian  Ter- 
ritory, where  they  are  to-day. 

Romans  was  among  them  of  his  own  volition  as  a 
student  originally — but  he  later  developed  designs  favor- 
ing an  alliance  with  the  British  in  their  effort  to  push 
their  possessions  westward.  He  was  called  away  by  the 
Revolution  against  England,  the  Choctaws  remained  neu- 
tral in  the  war  that  followed,  and  continued,  as  before, 
on  good  terms  with  the  French  trading  posts — frequently 
visiting  New  Orleans,  capital  of  the  Province  of  Louis- 
iana. 

One  of  their  very  interesting  villages  was  near  Bayou 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

Lacornbe,  not  far  from  Lake  Pontchartrain.  It  was  to 
this  settlement  that  the  polished  scholar,  Adrien  Rou- 
quette, retired  when  he  had  determined  to  apply  himself  to 
a  special  work,  impelled  by  a  great  devotion. 

There  can  hardly  be  any  doubt  that  when  the  world 
has  become  acquainted  with  the  Abbe  Rouquette  he  will 
rank  among  the  distinguished  figures  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  His  was  a  bright  mind,  of  great  imagination, 
with  ideals  and  concentration — like  all  men  of  genius  he 
was  peculiar.  The  impressions  of  an  infancy  spent  among 
a  Choctaw  Indian  environment  eventually  lured  him  back 
to  that  people  for  whom  he  had  acquired  a  great  affection. 

Had  he  remained  in  Paris  where  he  was  educated  the 
world  would  know  him  to-day,  without  doubt,  as  it  does 
Chateaubriand. 

His  return  to  Louisiana,  the  development  of  his  love 
of  the  Faith,  his  going  into  Orders,  all  in  the  direction  of 
the  missionary  life  which  seemed  to  him  his  spiritual  des- 
tiny— these  were  practical  duties  he  had  in  mind.  His 
great  literary  accomplishments  were  held  by  him  secon- 
dary in  importance,  and  were  not  developed  as  they  would 
have  been  in  an  environmnt  of  letters. 

However  it  is  as  Nature  lover  and  servant  of  man 
for  God's  sake,  that  Pere  Rouquette  is  remembered  lo- 
cally. The  descendants  of  the  Choctaws  revere  him  as 
a  saint ;  his  deeds  of  charity  have  become  the  story  of  the 
"Yieux  Carre;"  his  soul  stirring  oratory  in  Louisiana's 
historical  Cathedral  is  a  part  in  its  two  century  traditions. 

A  fine  description  of  Abbe  Rouquette,  written  from 
personal  observation  by  Dr.  Alexander  De  Menil,  of  St. 


3  INTRODUCTION. 

Louis,  in  his  interesting  work  entitled  "Louisiana  Writ- 
ers," is  as  follows: 

"On  a  warm  day  in  February,  1874,  I  was  standing 
on  Rue  Royale,  industriously  engaged  in  idling  away  time 
and  youth,  when  I  was  startled  by  a  voice  that  came  from 
an  open  doorway  just  behind  me,  'C'est  V  Abbe  Rouquette 
— un  vrai  saint. r  and  the  commere  crossed  herself. 

"I  looked  adown  the  narrow  street — a  man,  old  in 
years,  yet  strong  and  active,  of  about  medium  size,  a  little 
stooped,  long  black  hair  streaked  with  grey,  aud  clad  in  the 
simple  black  clothes  of  a  Catholic  priest,  was  leisurely 
passing  along  the  sidewalk.  'Abbe  Rouquette — a  real 
saint!'  The  words  have  often  recurred  to  my  memory 
since  then.  A  few  years  later  I  was  delighted  to  learn 
that  Abbe  Rouquette  had  written  several  books,  and  was 
a  poet!" 

I  am  very  glad  to  contribute  to  the  Abbe  Rouquette 
matter,  a  Choctaw  vocabulary  not  yet  published,  in  his 
autograph  which  has  recently  turned  up  in  Paris.  It  was 
sent  to  me  and  now  forms  a  part  of  my  Americana  collec- 
tion. 

It  is  given,  in  part,  as  an  addenda  to  this  very  ex- 
cellent relation  of  the  Abbe's  life,  which  though  much 
belated  is  a  fine  tribute  to  his  worth,  his  genius  and  his 
patriotism. 

T.   P.  THOMPSON. 
Chairman  History  Committee, 

Bienville  Assembly, 
Knights  of  Columbus. 
New  Orleans,  July  4,  1913. 


PICTURE   OF  A.   ROUQUETTE. 


CHAPTER  FIRST. 

BIRTHPLACE. 

New  Orleans — how  varied  are  the  thoughts  evoked  by 
thy  name.  Oh!  Queen  City  of  the  Southland!  Situated 
near  the  mouth  of  the  great  Mississippi — and  possessing-  a 
capacious  harbor — to-day — almost  the  eve  of  that  gigantic 
achievement,  the  completion  of  the  Panama  Canal — the 
would-be  seer  has  little  difficulty  in  predicting  a  future 
greatness  such  as  the  most  sanguine  of  her  sons  has  never 
dreamed  of,  for  New  Orleans — when  she  will  be  the  center 
of  commercial  enterprise  and  in  touch  with  all  the  nations 
of  the  world. 

But  these  promises  we  will  leave  for  future  verifica- 
tion,— while  we  consider  Xew  Orleans  of  to-day.  Visitors 
come  from  all  over  the  world,  some  on  pleasure  bent,  some 
to  seek  the  balmy  winter  sunshine,  and  some  in  the  inter- 
ests of  business.  And  as  varied  as  the  reasons  for  their 
sojourn  in  the  Crescent  City,  are  the  souvenirs  taken  away ; 
memories  of  pleasant  company  distinguished  for  courtesy, 
of  varied  amusements,  gay  crowds — brilliant  pageants  and 
splendid  buildings.  There  are  the  fine  public  institutions, 
the  colleges  and  convents,  the  hotels,  banks  and  exchanges, 
the  churches  and  chapels,  and  many  quaint  old  corners 
with  their  reminiscences  of  other  days,  recalling  most  in- 
teresting periods  of  the  city's  history. 

One  scene  sure  to  be  remembered  is  the  kaleidoscopic 


10  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

view  of  Canal  Street,  with  its  vast  emporiums  of  art  and 
luxury,  and  the  ceaseless  movement  of  busy  toilers,  butter- 
flies of  fashion,  and  various  spectators,  coming  and  going 
all  through  the  day,  and  well  on  into  the  wee  small  hours 
of  the  night  as  the  trains  come  in  from  the  lakeside  resorts 
and  add  new-comers  to  replace  those  who  have  retired  to 
their  homes. 

Another  picture  will  be  the  wide  avenues,  with  their 
beautiful  shade  trees,  and  the  palatial  residences  of  the 
wealthy  inhabitants,  especially  Esplanade,  in  the  French 
section  of  the  city,  running  from  the  river  back  to  Bayou 
St.  John ;  and  St.  Charles  Avenue,  extending  about  eight 
miles  above  Canal  Street,  parallel  with  the  river. 

Then,  who  that  has  been  so  fortunate  as  to  witness  the 
Carnival  parades,  can  ever  forget  the  fairy-like,  the  weird 
and  fantastic,  the  brilliantly  beautiful  floats  of  the  night 
processions,  making  the  rustic  rub  his  eyes  and  wonder  if 
he  be  not  under  the  power  of  some  genii  of  the  "Arabian 
Nights." 

But  it  was  not  the  New  Orleans  of  to-day  that  wel- 
comed the  advent  into  life  of  Adrien  Kouquette,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  born  February  26,  1813, — and  in  order 
to  understand  correctly  many  of  the  circumstances  that 
influenced  his  youth,  we  will  glance  for  a  few  moments 
over  the  historical  background  of  his  birthplace. 

Although  in  1813  the  city  could  claim  almost  a  cen- 
tury of  existence,  its  development  had  naturally  been  much 
retarded  by  the  conflicts  with  surrounding  Indian  tribes. 
The  Tunicas,  Alabamas,  Chickasaws,  Natchez  and  other 


RESIDENCE. 


I  ,A  K  I :    PONTCHART  RAIN. 


POET-MISSIONAKY     OF     LOUISIANA.  11 

children  of  the  soil  were  loath  to  see  the  palefaces 
from  over  the  seas,  dispossess  them  of  their  hunting 
grounds.  Besides  these  fierce  foes  who  menaced  the  very 
life  of  the  young  colony,  there  were  so  many  political 
changes,  that  stability  of  government,  so  necessary  to  pro- 
gress, was  a  boon  long  desired  before  it  was  finally 
granted. 

We  can  say  that  New  Orleans  was  founded  about 
1722,  when  the  officers  and  archives  of  the  province  were 
removed  from  Biloxi  to  the  present  site;  the  city,  if  we 
may  use  so  dignified  a  name,  consisting  at  that  time  of, 
perhaps,  a  hundred  cabins,  a  warehouse,  a  little  chapel 
and  about  two  hundred  inhabitants.  These  were  chiefly 
Canadians  who  had  settled  upon  the  spot  chosen  by  Bien- 
ville some  twenty  years  after  his  discovery  of  the  mouth 
of  the  Mississippi — and  were  to  prove  by  experience 
whether  the  place  were  a  suitable  location  by  the  fertility 
of  its  soil  and  its  immunity  from  the  devastating  floods 
of  the  river  during  the  springtime. 

With  regard  to  commerce  the  colony  was  very  favor- 
ably located  midway  between  Mobile  and  Natchez,  being 
about  a  hundred  miles  from  the  Gulf  and  within  easy 
access  to  Lake  Pontchartrain,  by  the  picturesque  little 
stream  now  known  as  Bayou  St.  John,  which  flowed  back 
of  the  spot  selected  by  Bienville  for  the  city  he  wished  to 
found  in  honor  of  the  Duke  d'Orleans. 

It  would  be  useless  to  dwell  at  length  upon  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  the  new-born  town  in  the  course  of  the  18th  Cen- 
tury, as  the  Colony  passed  from  French  control  to  Spanish 


12  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

domination  and  thence  was  won  back  to  France  by  the 
diplomacy  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte. 

Meanwhile  before  the  dawn  of  1800  there  were  inter- 
nal disturbances  which  made  the  AJmerican  Government 
very  desirous  to  obtain  possession  of  the  territory.  First, 
in  order  to  facilitate  commerce,  and  secondly,  to  obviate 
the  threatened  war  between  the  Western  States  and  the 
Spanish  authorities  in  New  Orleans — who  refused  not 
only  to  sell  or  grant  any  lands  to  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  but  even  forbade  any  deposit  of  merchandise  in 
New  Orleans — and  thus  destroyed  all  the  commercial 
hopes  founded  by  the  United  States,  which  looked  upon 
the  Mississippi  as  the  natural  channel  for  transportation, 
and  New  Orleans  as  a  center  for  export  and  the  most  con- 
venient receiving  port. 

Thomas  Jefferson,  President  of  the  United  States  at 
the  time  when  Napoleon  regained  Louisiana,  knew  how 
loyal  the  States  had  been  to  the  Union  and  how  they  had 
rejected  all  the  Spanish  offers  to  forego  allegiance  to  the 
central  government  in  order  to  join  the  colony  of  Louis- 
iana, so  he  resolved  to  do  all  that  was  possible  to  remove 
the  causes  of  complaint  and  disturbance.  James  Monroe 
was  accordingly  despatched  to  France  to  open  negotiations 
for  the  purchase  of  New  Orleans — as  soon  as  it  was  known 
that  the  colony  had  been  ceded  back  to  Napoleon — and  the 
chief  object  Jefferson  had  in  view  was  to  obtain  right  of 
way  through  the  Mississippi  delta  to  the  Gulf. 

Napoleon,  realizing  the  strained  relations  between 
England    and    France,    was    willing    to    sell,    not    only 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  13 

New  Orleans,  but  the  whole  of  Louisiana,  for  $15,000,000, 
and  signed  the  treaty  at  Paris,  April  30, 1803,  a  little  more 
than  one  month  after  the  Spaniards  had  made  the  cession. 
When  the  news  that  France  again  had  possession  reached 
Louisiana,  the  French  citizens  naturally  rejoiced  at  the 
transfer,  as  they  believed  it  to  be,  for  at  first  they  did  not 
suspect  that  Napoleon  would  sell  the  territory  to  the 
Americans,  and  in  their  joy  at  being  once  more  in  alle- 
giance to  their  well-loved  mother  country,  "La  Belle 
France,"  they  generously  agreed  to  leave  the  Spanish  set- 
tlers in  full  and  undisturbed  possession  of  whatever  prop- 
erty they  then  held. 

Some  of  the  names  of  the  best-known  citizens  of  our 
New  Orleans  of  to-day,  occupied  with  honor  the  first  of- 
fices in  the  young  city  in  1800,  and  played  prominent  parts 
in  maintaining  peace  amidst  these  political  changes. 

When,  on  November  30,  1803,  the  Spanish  flag  was  low- 
ered and  the  banner  of  France  floated  once  more  over  the 
old  Cabildo,  there  was  no  enthusiastic  demonstration  of 
joy  from  the  crowds  assembled  to  witness  the  exchange, 
for  news  had  just  arrived  that  Napoleon  had  sold  the  Col- 
ony to  the  United  States, — and  the  people  knew  that  in  a 
short  while  the  Stars  and  Stripes  would  replace  the  Fleur 
de  Lis. 

From  this  period  dates  the  beginning  of  that  influx 
of  English-speaking  citizens,  the  pioneers  of  the  manufac- 
turers and  trades  people  who  came  to  establish  the  com- 
mercial system  so  long  desired  by  the  Western  States, — 
and  which  question  came  near  causing  war.    We  can  read- 


14  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

ily  understand  that  the  feelings  between  the  old  residents 
and  the  new-comers  were  somewhat  strained  for  a  long 
time — and  thus  divided  the  city  into  the  French  and  En- 
glish sections — of  which  Canal  Street  was  the  dividing 
line. 

Thus  we  see  that  New  Orleans,  though  peopled  by 
various  nationalities,  was  now  secure  under  the  home  gov- 
ernment with  no  more  danger  of  being  the  shuttlecock  be- 
tween the  battledores  of  European  unrest;  progress  could 
now  keep  pace  with  the  ambition  of  the  citizens,  and  a 
period  of  calm  seemed  about  to  dawn  during  which  the 
fair  Crescent  City  could  expand  and  grow  in  beauty, 
wealth  and  importance. 

The  Indian  tribes  which  had  given  so  much  trouble 
all  during  the  18th  Century  were  now  at  peace,  but  a  more 
powerful  foe  was  approaching — and  while  disturbing  the 
plans  for  commerce  and  improvement  was  to  add  a  new 
page  of  glory  to  the  history  of  New  Orleans.  All  are  fa- 
miliar with  the  thrilling  account  of  General  Jackson's 
splendid  victory  at  the  Battle  of  New  Orleans — which 
closed  our  contest  with  England — so  it  were  needless  to 
do  more  than  lay  a  new  tribute  of  praise  and  gratitude  be- 
side the  countless  others  presented  to  our  heroic  com- 
mander. New  Orleans  was  saved,  and  without  losses  to 
mourn  was  under  these  glorious  auspices  ready  to  begin  a 
new  period  of  rapid  development. 

These  few  historical  facts  merely  noting  the  import- 
ant and  interesting  events  which  illustrated  the  period  pre- 
ceding and  at  the  time  of  the  birth  of  Adrien  form  a  nee- 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  15 

essary  foundation  to  the  sketch  of  his  life — for  how  can 
one  form  a  correct  conception  of  the  child's  and  the  man's 
life  if  surroundings  and  circumstances,  so  potent  factors 
in  character  formation,  be  unknown? 

It  is  not  possible  to  mention  all,  or  to  go  into  detail, 
but  the  reader  will  be  able  to  form  some  idea  of  the  boy- 
hood home  and  environment  of  Adrien  Rouquette. 

All  these  vicissitudes — all  these  changes — played  no 
little  part  in  moulding  the  characters  of  the  new  race  born 
of  the  descendants  of  French,  Spanish  and  English  col- 
onists, and  the  sons  of  New  Orleans  were  prudent  in  coun- 
cil, brave  and  gallant  in  warfare,  generous  in  hospitality, 
and  deeply  attached  to  the  pure  pleasures  of  a  home  life, 
where  urbanity,  grace  and  good  taste  made  their  homes  a 
rendezvous  for  the  cultured  and  refined, — and  so  brilliant 
were  the  assemblies  which  grouped  together  the  elite  of 
the  city,  that  a  European  might  easily  fancy  the  beautiful 
women  in  their  silks  and  laces  and  jewels,  and  the  gallant 
men  so  distinguished  and  noble,  to  be  in  the  salon  of  a 
Madame  Recamier,  or  de  Swetchine. 

The  Faubourg  St.  Jean  might  have  been  termed  the 
garden  district  of  the  growing  city,  which  was  then  com- 
prised between  Bienville,  North  Rampart,  Hospital  and 
the  river-front.  A  short  drive  back  brought  into  view  the 
beautiful  little  Bayou  which  gave  its  name  to  the  section 
"St.  Jean."  On  its  sloping  banks  were  the  country  homes 
of  the  well-to-do  citizens  who  owned  plantations  between 
the  city  and  the  Bayou — and  across  the  laughing  ripples 
of  the  winding  stream  the  sunlight  frolicked  as  it  danced 


16  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

through  the  branches  of  the  giant  oaks  and  pecan  trees, 
which  were  yet  undisturbed  and  sheltered  remnants  of  the 
Choctaw  Indian  tribe. 

BAYOU  ST.  JOHN. 

In  the  forests  of  God  how  peaceful  is  prayer! 
With  Natures'  own  Music  no  Art  can  compare. 
The  waves  of  the  Bayou  bring  balm  to  my  heart, 
How  happy  to  feel  of  this  scene  I  am  part. — 
Hearing  the  wind  speaking  low  to  the  trees, 
While  the  tremor  of  leaves  in  response  to  the  breeze, 
Lifts  up  the  soul  to  the  heavens  serene, 
Where  earth  fades  away  and  God  only  is  seen, 
Only  His  voice  in  the  silence  resounds, 
And  heavenly  joy  through  my  being  abounds. 

Abbe  Rouquette. 

Many  of  the  wealthy  Creole  families  had  made  their 
homes  in  this  pleasant  locality,  and  among  the  number  was 
Mr.  Rouquette,  a  well-known,  highly-respected  and  distin- 
guished gentleman  of  French  descent.  He  was  well  en- 
dowed with  the  goods  of  this  world  and  Madame  Rou- 
quette was  in  every  way  fitted  to  adorn  and  direct  her 
luxurious  home  and  growing  family.  We  can  easily  pic- 
ture to  ourselves  this  old  colonial  residence,  with  its  wide 
verandas  curtained  from  the  tropical  sun  by  a  verdant 
screen  of  honeysuckle  and  climbing  roses;  with  its  broad 
halls  and  spacious  apartments  in  which  most  of  the  arti- 
cles, whether  for  comfort  or  ornament,  had  come  across 
the  seas  with  the  French  ancestors. 


BAYOU    ST.    JOHN. 


COLONIAL  RESIDENCE. 


POET-MISSIONAKY     OF     LOUISIANA.  17 

Wide  gardens  surrounded  the  house,  not  those  stately 
formal  creations  which  make  one  recall  Washington  Ir- 
ving's  description  of  a  Dutch  parlor  in  New  Amsterdam, 
where  everything  is  in  prim,  stiff,  unattractive  symmetry 
— neither  was  it  the  opposite  style — of  landscape  garden 
wherein  art  rather  hides  nature,  but  it  was  the  sweet  old- 
fashioned  garden  when  walks  curved  their  shell  borders 
amid  beds  of  luxurious  and  brilliant  if  simple  flowers  so 
loved  by  our  grandmothers  long  ago. 

There  were  the  periwinkle,  verbena,  marigold,  and 
coxcomb  nodding  as  gayly  in  the  balmy  breeze  as  the 
rarest  exotic  of  to-day  could  do.  Nowhere  were  the  roses 
more  beautiful,  the  violets  more  fragrant  and  the  lilies 
more  dazzling  and  stately  than  in  Madame  Rouquette's 
garden,  carefully  tended  by  her  own  hands — and  all  the 
year  round  the  air  was  laden  with  the  sweet  perfume  of 
Chinese  olive,  magnolia  fuscata  or  shrub  mignonette. 
Such  was  the  birthplace  and  home  of  Adrien  Rouquette. 

But  here  and  there  at  no  great  distance  were  Indian 
villages — the  name  of  one  still  remaining  to  designate  the 
site  of  the  Tchoupitoulas.  The  proximity  of  the  home  of 
Adrien  to  the  woods  where  the  Choctaws  roamed  and  the 
villages  where  their  wigwrams  were,  tended  much  to  influ- 
ence young  Adrien.  So  thus  we  see  him  at  the  beginning 
of  life,  the  child  of  wealthy  parents,  who  owned  many 
negro  slaves — and  coming  in  contact  from  his  earliest 
years  with  the  race  for  whose  salvation  his  future  life  was 
to  be  so  entirely  devoted,  as  the  Apostle  of  the  Choctaws. 


CHAPTER    SECOND. 

CHILDHOOD 

New  Orleans  at  the  time  of  Adrien's  birth  had  but  one 
church,  under  the  patronage  of  St.  Louis.  The  original 
frame  chapel  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  March,  1788,  and  the 
new  edifice,  which  owed  its  existence  to  the  generosity  of 
Don  Andres  Almonaster,  of  Roxas,  a  Spanish  Knight  and 
Registor  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  New  Orleans,  was 
opened  for  public  worship  on  Christmas  day,  1794. 

The  celebrated  and  revered  Antonio  de  Sidella, 
familiarly  called  "le  bon  Pere  Antoine,"  was  no  doubt 
the  officiant  at  the  ceremony  of  little  Adrien  Rouquette's 
baptism,  a  privilege  every  son  of  the  Crescent  City 
would  feel  honored  to  claim.  Thus  did  the  sacred  laver 
of  regeneration,  from  the  dawn  of  his  existence,  make 
the  little  child  a  citizen  of  heaven  and  the  brother  of 
the  angels.  But  it  did  not  transform  his  natural  tempera- 
ment, and  from  his  earliest  infancy  Adrien  manifested 
a  wilful,  petulant  disposition,  which  soon  made  him  the 
supreme  master  of  the  nursery  and  his  devoted  black 
"Mammy."  Little  "Massa  Adrien"  ruled  her  completely, 
and  when  pralines  and  "des  petits  gateaux"  could  not  be 
obtained  by  cajoleries  they  were  generally  yielded  up  to 
pacify  her  young  master's  violent  outbursts  of  temper. 
Yet  his  was  not  a  morose  nature  and  the  clouds  soon 
drifted  away  to  give  place  to  sunshine.     From  the  time 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  19 

he  learned  to  talk,  Adrien  readily  picked  up  the  quaint 
negro  French  which  so  frequently  recurs  in  his  writings. 
This  dialect  he  learned  from  the  slaves,  but  it  was  in  no 
way  an  obstacle  to  the  acquisition  of  the  purest  French 
then  generally  spoken  in  business  and  in  society.  Even  at 
this  early  age  his  linguistic  facilities  were  remarkable. 

When  between  three  and  four  years  of  age  he  was 
much  interested  in  some  Indian  children,  who  came  across 
the  Bayou  to  sell  to  Madame  Rouquette  fresh  fish,  crabs, 
or  game,  according  to  the  season.  As  weeks  and  months 
went  by,  Adrien's  interest  ripened  into  an  acquaintance, 
and  soon  quite  a  friendship  sprang  up.  We  can  see  in  this 
the  wonderful  guiding  Providence  of  the  Heavenly  Father 
who  fosters  in  the  infancy  of  his  future  Apostle  a  warm 
feeling  in  the  race  for  whose  salvation  he  was  to  labor  so 
generously.  Adrien  showed  the  little  Indian  lads  his  little 
treasures — his  dogs,  his  pony  and  his  toys,  and  listened 
enraptured  to  their  brief  descriptions  of  the  wonders  of 
the  woods  and  the  pleasures  of  their  free,  wild  life. 

One  Spring  morning,  when  Adrien  was  a  little  more 
than  five  years  old,  his  mother  having  taken  the  fish 
brought  by  the  Indians,  and  Mammy  being  safely  occu- 
pied in  the  nursery,  the  idea  came  to  the  child  that  it 
would  be  very  easy  and  most  delightful  to  follow  the 
young  traders  back  to  the  forest,  where  birds  and  rabbits 
and  flowers  had  their  homes,  and  where  his  Indian  friends 
could  show  him  many  wonderful  things  hidden  away  over 
there  in  the  woods. 

It  did  not  take  long  for  the  thought  to  extend  to  execu- 


20  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     BOU.QUETTE, 

tion  and  unconsciously  rejoicing  in  the  absence  of  any 
obstacle,  off  he  ran  as  fast  as  a  hare  to  overtake  the  Choc- 
taw youths  ere  they  reached  the  Bayou.  They  were  by 
no  means  loath  to  accept  the  little  boy's  comradeship,  so 
Adrien  was  placed  in  the  pirogue  and  in  a  few  moments 
they  were  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  stream  under  the 
shade  of  the  great  trees,  enjoying  the  fresh  breeze  and  the 
perfume  of  the  young  vegetation  still  sparkling  with  dew. 
The  vast  solitude  pleased  and  awed  the  child,  the  flowers 
attracted  him,  the  songs  of  the  birds  thrilled  him  with  a 
joy  he  could  not  understand,  and  when  he  saw  the  rabbits 
jump  about  and  heard  the  squirrels  chatter  in  the  branches 
above  his  head,  he  exulted  in  the  possession  of  a  happi- 
ness to  which  his  whole  nature  seemed  to  go  out,  and  he 
thought  nothing  could  be  more  desirable  than  to  live  for- 
ever there  in  the  forest. 

Meanwhile  at  home  no  such  sentiments  were  enter- 
tained. A  few  moments  after  Adrien's  departure,  Mammy 
came  to  get  him  for  a  trip  to  the  garden — a  morning  walk, 
but  no  where  was  the  child  to  be  found.  She  searched  the 
house  and  grounds  in  vain,  and  then  crying  bitterly  over 
the  loss  of  her  favorite,  whom  she  vaguely  feared  to  have 
fallen  into  the  Bayou — as  she  noticed  the  open  gate — she 
went  in  to  tell  her  mistress  of  Adrien's  disappearance  and 
to  get  help  to  find  him. 

Madame  Rouquette  at  once  summoned  several  young 
slaves,  who  were  devoted  to  their  young  'Mars  Adrien," 
and  sent  them  in  different  directions  to  look  for  him.  One 
of  these  had  also  remarked  the  open  gate,  so  he  went  at 


BOGUE  FALAYA  RIVER. 


IHAPEL  AT  CHIXCHUBA. 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  21 

once  to  the  Bayou,  and  saw  the  pirogue  fastened  on  the 
opposite  side.  The  idea  occurred  to  him  that  Adrien  might 
have  gone  over  with  the  Indians,  so  seizing  the  Rouquette's 
own  boat,  he  crossed  and  landed  at  the  same  spot.  Then 
stooping  he  examined  the  footprints  in  the  moist  earth 
and  saw  what  made  him  sure  that  his  quest  would  prove 
successful.  Sure  enough  he  had  not  gone  far  when  shouts 
of  laughter  from  the  little  runaway  guided  him  to  the 
group  of  children  where  Adrien  was  enjoying  his  freedom 
to  the  utmost. 

It  did  not  take  long  to  swing  the  truant  to  his  shoulder 
and  hasten  homeward  to  allay  the  anxieties  of  Madame 
Rouquette  and  Mammy.  When  the  little  fellow  burst 
into  the  room,  breathless,  and  eagerly  poured  forth  the 
joy  and  happiness  he  had  experienced  and  showed  the 
treasures  he  had  received  from  his  young  Indian  friends, 
Mammy  could  only  smile,  while  Madame  tried  to  look 
grave.  She  drew  her  little  son  close  beside  her  and  tried 
to  make  him  understand  that  his  running  away  had  given 
her  much  pain  and  worry.  At  the  conclusion  the  impul- 
sive child  flung  his  arms  around  his  mother's  neck  and 
promised  never  again  to  go  with  his  dear  Choctaw  com- 
rades without  letting  her  know.  And  so  tfhe  episode 
passed  away.  By  the  time  Adrien  had  reached  the  age 
of  six  all  were  accustomed  to  see  him  go  off  with  his  dusky 
playmates,  and  he  was  even  allowed  to  seek  them  from 
time  to  time  in  their  wigwams — and  he  loved  nothing  half 
so  well  as  to  dress  like  one  of  them  and  revel  in  the  wild 
woods,  where,  young  as  he  was,  God's  presence  in  the 


22  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

primeval  forest  impressed  his  innocent  mind  with  a  de- 
vout sense  of  reverence.  Adrien  was  naturally  a  pious 
child,  and  from  the  time  when  at  his  mother's  knee  he  was 
taught  to  lisp  the  sweet  names  of  Jesus  and  Mary,  he  had 
loved  to  offer  his  heart  to  our  Lord.  And  especially  when 
far  from  the  haunts  of  civilization  did  he  realize  the  om- 
nipresence and  omniscience  of  the  Creator — though  he 
could  hardly  have  told  you  why.  But  his  was  not  the 
calm,  quiet  elevation  of  the  soul  to  God,  it  was  more  like 
the  impetuous  rushing  of  the  torrent  to  the  sea. 

So  when  he  stole  away  to  join  his  red-skinned  com- 
rades, he  would  first  drink  in,  as  it  were,  the  sweet  sense 
of  God's  nearness,  which  he  always  felt  when  in  the  for- 
est. Then  away  he  would  speed  as  swift  as  any  Indian 
lad,  and  with  his  friends  would  race  through  the  tangled 
undergrowth  of  our  Southern  woodlands,  or  vie  with  any 
in  agility  in  climbing  a  tree,  and  prove  himself  as  skilful 
as  any  in  fishing  or  in  trapping.  He  listened  to  the  Indian 
chants,  and  looked  at  their  dances,  and  ere  long  could 
join  with  them  as  one  of  the  tribe,  so  perfectly  had  he  ac- 
quired the  language,  tone  and  gesture. 

What  more  fitting  preparation  could  Divine  Provi- 
dence have  planned  for  one  whose  future  sphere  of  action 
was  to  be  among  these  same  Choctaw  Indians — Deus  Mens 
quam  admirabile  vias  tuas  sunt! 


CHAPTER    THIRD. 

YOUTH   AND   SCHOOLDAYS. 

Such  a  wild  existence,  untrainineled  by  the  conven- 
tionalities of  civilized  life  suited  young  Rouquette  ex- 
actly, and  he  was  absent  so  often  and  remained  away  so 
long,  and  was  so  habituated  to  the  Indian  customs  that 
before  his  eighth  year  dawned  he  could  easily  have  been 
mistaken  for  a  little  Indian  had  a  stranger  met  the  child 
roving  through  the  woods  or  playing  in  the  Indian  vil- 
lages with  the  Choctaw  children. 

Madame  Rouquette  at  first  thought  little  of  her  son's 
fancy  for  this  sort  of  life,  saying :  "He  is  young  and  will 
not  be  harmed  at  all  by  contact  with  the  poor,  simple  In- 
dians, and  the  open  air  exercise  will  strengthen  and  in- 
vigorate him  physically.  Besides  there  is  plenty  of  time 
to  think  of  taming  him  when  he  grows  older." 

But  when  he  reached  his  eighth  year  and  repulsed 
all  attempts  to  confine  him  and  teach  him  aught  save 
Indian  craft,  Madame  Rouquette  grew  anxious  and  wished 
she  had  not  allowed  Adrien  such  freedom  of  intercourse 
with  the  savages.  It  was  a  little  late,  but  she  could  only 
see  the  matter  from  a  human  standpoint  and  did  not 
know  that  she  had  been  unconsciously  aiding  the  designs 
of  God's  Providence. 

She  now  determined  to  sever  these  old  connections, 
and  by  placing  Adrien  at  school,  where  he  could  meet 


24  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

children  of  his  own  rank  and  station,  turn  his  thoughts  in 
another  direction. 

At  that  time  the  "College  d'Orleans"  was  the  best 
equipped  and  most  frequented  by  the  aristocracy  of  the 
city.  So  our  young  hero  was  formally  entered,  and  his 
mother  drew  a  sigh  of  relief  as  she  thought  that  the  task 
was  removed  from  her  to  the  professors.  But  the  life 
Adrien  had  led  up  to  that  period  had  not  prepared  him  to 
sit  quietly  on  the  benches  of  the  classroom;  nor  did  he 
find  his  new  friends  half  as  entertaining  as  the  Indian 
lads.  How  could  the  prosy  rules  of  grammar  fix  the  child's 
attention  when  the  trill  of  a  mocking  bird,  or  perfume- 
laden  breeze  from  the  woodland  reminded  him  of  the  de- 
lights his  forest  friends  were  enjoying  while  he  was  impris- 
oned and  had  to  undergo  the  penance  of  study — dry,  dull 
and  uninteresting !  It  was  impossible !  He  could  not,  thus,  at 
once  change  his  mode  of  existence,  and  so  at  school  was 
woefully  idle,  ever  on  the  watch  for  a  fair  opportunity  to 
escape  and  run  away  to  the  woods.  Not  infrequently 
would  Adrien  plan  a  whole  day  of  freedom,  and  on  such 
occasions  never  go  near  the  college ;  instead,  seek  the 
shortest  road  to  the  haunts  of  his  wild  comrades,  whom 
he  had  planned  to  meet  for  an  excursion  of  hunting  or 
fishing. 

Under  such  circumstances  the  beginning  of  Adrien's 
education  was  neither  agreeable  to  the  professors,  nor 
very  beneficial  to  the  child.  Yet,  by  dint  of  persevering 
efforts,  the  foundations  were  laid  for  the  brilliant  after- 
career,  when,  as  a  writer,  young  Rouquette  won  his  lau- 


POET-MISSIONARY    OF     LOUISIANA.  25 

rels  both  at  home  and  abroad.  The  child's  mind  was  like 
a  fertile  soil  that  yields  a  hundredfold  for  each  grain 
sown.  He  was  remarkably  intelligent,  readily  grasping 
theories  and  facts  far  above  his  years — and  his  memory 
was  so  retentive  that  he  never  forgot  a  thing  once  heard, 
while  his  imagination  was  so  lively  and  vivid  that  it  was 
rivalled  only  by  the  impulsive,  generous,  excitable,  enthu- 
siastic, spirited  and  zealous  nature  of  his  will.  These 
qualities  made  Adrien  an  imperious  ruler  among  his  com- 
rades, whenever  he  condescended  to  desert  his  old-time 
favorites,  the  Indians.  In  all  their  games,  Adrien  was  the 
arbiter,  such  influence  had  he  gained  for  truth,  justice  and 
sincerity.  His  words  might  become  heated  by  flashes  of 
passion,  but  purity  and  modesty  were  striking  character- 
istics everywhere  and  always. 

Two  years  of  this  miserable  life  dragged  on;  for 
Adrien  most  tiresome  because  of  the  constraint  and  pun- 
ishment they  brought,  for  he  had  still  to  learn  how  sweet 
it  is  to  "drink  deep  of  the  Pierian  Spring" ;  to  the  profes- 
sors they  were  years  of  trial  and  disappointment,  and  to 
his  mother  they  were  full  of  weary  anxiety  on  account  of 
her  son's  antipathy  to  civilized  life,  and  full  of  misgiv- 
ings for  the  future.  Madame  Rouquette  said  many  a  "mea 
culpa"  for  ever  having  allowed  this  intimacy  between  her 
child  and  the  savages,  (a  term  which  Adrien  deeply  re- 
sented when  applied  to  his  dearly  loved  friends). 

However  much  Madame  Rouquette  regretted  this 
predilection  of  her  son,  she  often  consoled  herself  with  the 
thought  that  perhaps  a  like  intimacy  with  the  children 


26  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

of  the  city  had  not  left  her  child's  soul  as  innocent  and 
pure — and  while  his  mind  had  little  knowledge  from 
books,  it  was  stored  with  many  a  lesson  of  nature  learned 
from  the  children  of  the  forest. 

Nothing  tells  more  upon  the  health  than  worry,  and  by 
the  Summer  of  1822  Madame  Rouquette  was  almost  an 
invalid.  Physicians  recommended  a  change  of  air,  but 
it  was  difficult  to  leave  home,  and  she  thought  that  if 
relieved  from  the  responsibility  of  watching  over  Adrien, 
for  at  least  the  two  months  of  vacation,  she  could  more 
easily  recuperate  and  at  the  same  time  give  the  boy  a 
pleasure  often  longed  for  and  much  anticipated.  The  ful- 
filment would  approach  as  near  as  possible  the  acme  of 
his  ambition.  So  it  was  arranged  that  Adrien  would  pay 
a  long  visit  to  his  uncle,  whose  home  was  situated  on 
Bayou  Lacombe,  about  half  way  between  Mandeville  and 
Pearl  River.  There  he  dwelt  with  his  family  quiet  and  se- 
cluded in  the  heart  of  the  pine  lands  on  the  banks  of  the 
Bayou,  with  no  neighbors  but  the  Choctaws,  who  lived  here 
and  there,  cultivating  their  little  plots  of  ground  and  bring- 
ing to  New  Orleans  the  surplus  of  their  crops  and  the  va- 
rious herbs  so  much  prized  by  the  old  Creole  cooks. 

A  drive  to  the  lake  and  a  short  trip  across  it  found 
Adrien  at  Mandeville,  where  his  uncle  was  awaiting 
him.  Very  soon  they  reached  home,  a  very  simple  but 
comfortable  dwelling,  and  Adrien  was  welcomed  by 
his  shy  cousins,  who  gazed  at  him  quite  timidly  at  first. 
He  soon  made  friends,  and  determined  to  lose  not  one  iota 
of  the  rustic  pleasures  the  surroundings  seemed  to  promise. 


LAKE   PONTCHARTRAIN. 


BAYOU  PICTURE. 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  27 

Ere  long  Adrien  was  the  life  of  all  their  sports  and  fore- 
most in  every  expedition  on  pleasure  bent.  What  games 
they  had  on  the  pine  needles  of  the  woods !  What  picnics 
when  they  spent  the  whole  day  abroad !  And  how  the  days 
flew  away!  August  was  about  to  close,  and  in  a  few 
days  Adrien  was  to  return  to  New  Orleans.  The  young 
people  planned  one  more  day  of  fine  sport ;  they  would  go 
off  to  one  of  the  deep  pools  in  which  the  fish  seemed  to  con- 
gregate  during  dry  weather,  when  the  water  was  low  in 
the  Bayou.  There  they  would  spend  the  day.  Early  one 
morning  they  started  out,  and  after  a  delightful  ramble 
reached  a  spot  famous  for  its  fine  fishing.  There  was  a 
rather  wide  expanse  of  water  and  for  some  distance  down 
the  stream  was  quite  deep  and  covered  with  those  lovely 
lavender  blossoms  of  the  water-hyacinths  so  common  in 
our  Louisiana  bayous. 

The  children  at  once  set  to  work  preparing  the  fish- 
ing tackle,  digging  for  the  bait,  and  gathering  fagots  for 
the  fire;  for  they  intended  to  cook  their  dinner  and  enjoy 
their  fish  on  the  spot. 

Very  soon  all  was  quiet,  not  a  word  was  spoken  for 
fear  of  frightening  away  the  finny  treasures,  and  ere  long 
one  could  hear  a  smothered  exclamation  here  and  there  as 
first  one  and  then  another  landed  a  fine  fish.  It  did  not 
take  very  long  to  catch  sufficient  for  their  own  repast,  and 
still  have  a  good  string  to  carry  home.  Then  the  fire  was 
set  a  crackling  and  busy  fingers  prepared  the  fish,  and  soon 
young  appetites,  whetted  by  the  pine-scented  air,  were 
enjoying  the  toothsome  morsels. 


28  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

The  sylvan  banquet  ended,  the  basket  packed  and 
everything  ready  to  carry  home,  the  children  wandered  up 
and  down  gathering  flowers  and  mosses  and  delicate 
ferns. 

Little  Marie,  who  had  sworn  allegiance  to  Adrien,  and 
seemed  to  think  her  city  cousin  could  accomplish  any- 
thing, asked  him  to  help  her  obtain  some  water  lilies. 
Some  grew  so  near  the  shore  she  could  almost  reach  them. 
Adrien  assented,  and  looked  about  for  some  means  to  get 
to  them,  for  while  near  the  shore,  they  were  beyond  reach. 
After  looking  about  for  some  time,  he  spied  an  old  delap- 
idated  pirogue  abandoned  as  worthless  by  some  Indian. 
Adrien  pulled  it  out,  seized  a  long  stick,  and  was  about  to 
push  out  toward  the  flowers,  when  Marie  asked  to  go  with 
him,  and  without  considering  the  pros  and  cons  both  chil- 
dren were  soon  seated  in  the  little  boat,  and  Adrien,  warn- 
ing Marie  to  sit  erect  in  the  center  and  keep  the  balance, 
pushed  out  from  the  shore.  In  a  few  seconds  they  were 
in  the  midst  of  the  bed  of  flowers,  had  gathered  large 
bunches  and  were  fast  returning,  when  a  water  snake 
glided  out  beside  the  canoe  so  near  that  Marie  started, 
leaned  to  one  side  and  before  either  realized  what  had  hap- 
pened both  children  were  in  the  water.  Adrien  had  been 
too  often  with  the  Indians  along  Bayou  St.  John  not  to 
have  learned  to  swim,  and  he  knew  the  water  was  shal- 
low, so  did  not  lose  his  presence  of  mind. 

The  pirogue,  bottom  up,  was  beside  him,  so  he  held  to 
it  and  looked  for  Marie.  Though  the  water  was  not  deep, 
it  was  far  beyond  her  depth,  and  she  had  gone  down  out 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  29 

of  sight,  but  only  to  rise  in  a  minute.  When  she  came  to 
the  surface  Adrien  caught  her  by  the  hair,  drew  her  to  the 
boat,  and  she  too  held  ou.  Then  Adrien  looked  for  his 
stick,  but  it  was  out  of  reach.  Meanwhile  the  boys  on 
shore  were  frightened,  but  not  helpless.  They  took  in  the 
situation  at  a  glance  and  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell, 
had  cut  a  long  sapling  and  held  it  out  to  Adrien,  and  in  a 
few  moments  both  children  were  standing  on  terra  firma 
laughing  at  each  others  half-drowned  appearance. 

Luckily  the  fire  was  not  yet  dead,  so  it  was  soon  blaz- 
ing and  the  hero  and  heroine  of  the  adventure  were  drying 
their  garments  and  able  to  lament  the  loss  of  the  hya- 
cinths. 

The  shadows  of  evening  were  already  making  a 
twilight  under  the  pine  trees  when  they  reached 
home,  eager  to  recount  the  events  of  their  day.  Nat- 
urally Adrien  was  the  hero  of  the  occasion,  and  he  seemed 
to  experience  a  sort  of  proprietorship  over  Marie,  feeling 
that  he  had  saved  her  life.  She  in  turn  looked  upon  him 
as  her  preserver  and  the  ideal  of  all  that  was  noble  and 
heroic,  so  a  bond  of  mutual  sympathy  was  formed  between 
the  little  cousins,  and  in  later  years  Adrien  used  to  say 
that  it  was  then  he  met  his  first  Atala. 

A  few  days  later  Madame  Eouquette  sent  a  servant  to 
bring  her  son  home,  and  in  a  few  more  days  he  was  again 
at  the  College  d'  Orleans  dreaming  of  the  happy  days  spent 
on  Bayou  Lacombe.  I  wonder  if  some  sweet  voice  did  not 
whisper  that  it  would  one  day  be  his  home?  Strange,  in- 
deed, it  is,  but  the  most  striking  events  of  Adrien  Rou- 


30  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

quette's  life  were  to  be  connected  with  this  humble  seques- 
tered region.  Throughout  his  career  the  memories  of 
Bayou  Lacombe  ever  lay  closest  to  his  heart. 

As  time  sped  on,  years  later,  in  this  same  sylvan  soli- 
tude, Adrien  met  his  second  Atala,  and  it  was  here  that 
Adrien,  the  poet,  wrote  his  idyll,  "La  Nouvelle  Atala," 
and  finally,  when  Providence  had  guided  the  poet  into  the 
priesthood,  it  was  still  upon  the  banks  of  Bayou  Lacombe 
that  he  made  his  home  and  the  scene  of  his  life-work. 

But  now — to  return  to  our  young  student;  a  title  to 
which  he  by  no  means  aspired. 

Madame  Rouquette  pleaded  with  him,  and  the  pro- 
fessors encouraged  him,  so  Adrien  promised  to  apply  him- 
self to  his  books,  but  his  good  resolutions  melted  like  wax 
near  the  flame,  and  soon  he  was  longing  to  escape  the 
thralldom  of  the  school,  the  haunts  of  civilization,  and  re- 
turn to  his  habits  of  old,  truancy  and  idleness.  His  parents 
were  very  wealthy,  every  desire  had  been  gratified,  but 
when  Madame  Rouquette  saw  that  her  son  did  not  respond 
to  her  wishes,  she  determined  that  another  year  should 
find  him  so  situated  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to 
live  as  at  present,  with,  and  like  his  Indian  friends.  There 
were  several  English-speaking  families  in  New  Orleans 
who  sent  their  sons  off  to  the  schools  of  the  North,  so 
Madame  Rouquette  obtained  all  the  information  requisite 
and  wrote  to  the  Preparatory  School  of  Transylvania 
University,  in  Kentucky,  for  arrangements,  in  order  to  en- 
ter Adrien  as  soon  as  possible. 

Everything  was  prepared  and  the  passage  engaged 


POET-MISSIONARY    OF    LOUISIANA.  31 

on  one  of  the  large  boats  then  so  numerous  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi, and  one  day  it  was  announced  to  Adrien  that  he 
was  to  leave  at  once.  The  anxious  mother  often  asked  her- 
self whether  such  a  step  were  really  wise,  for  would  it 
not  place  her  child  in  a  distinctly  Protestant  element,  and 
what  would  become  of  his  religious  training?  She  con- 
sulted the  saintly  Pere  Antoine,  and  relying  upon  his 
assurance  that  Adrien  could  never  be  influenced,  but 
rather,  that  any  attempt  to  alter  his  religious  belief  would 
tend  to  make  him  adhere  even  more  firmly  to  his  faith,  she 
decided  to  send  him  away.  He  had  made  his  First  Com- 
munion, was  confirmed,  and  was  a  devout  and  truly  pious 
child.  His  innate  repulsion  and  horror  for  anything  that 
tended  to  immorality  seemed  to  safeguard  him  on  that 
score.  So,  after  multiplied  prayers  for  guidance,  had 
Madame  Rouquette  finally  decided  Adrien's  entrance  into 
the  Kentucky  school.  This  was  in  1824.  When  informed 
of  the  change,  Adrien  was  silent,  he  had  dwelt  too  long 
among  the  Indians  not  to  have  acquired  a  certain  amount 
of  stoicism.  Naturally  the  wrench  was  great  which  re- 
moved him  from  surroundings  and  persons  to  whom  he 
was  deeply  attached,  but  with  the  buoyancy  of  childhood 
he  readily  turned  his  mind  to  interesting  conjectures  as 
to  his  future  home  and  companions. 

At  last  the  day  of  departure  arrived.  Adrien  saw  his 
trunk  carried  down  to  the  wharf,  and  soon  the  farewells 
were  said  and  he  was  on  board  one  of  the  largest  and 
best  equipped  passenger  boats  of  the  river.  As  he  entered 
the  cabin  and  saw  his  reflection  in  the  large  mirror  at  the 


32  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

opposite  end,  lie  exclaimed :  "Look,  Mamma,  there  is  a  boy 
just  my  size  coming  to  meet'me!"  This  illusion  was  more 
than  verified,  for  before  the  last  bell  rang  quite  a  number 
of  boys  and  young  men  came  on  board,  several  of  whom 
were  destined  for  the  same  school  as  Adrien.  So  from  the 
beginning  of  the  trip  it  promised  to  be  lively.  At  the  last 
moment  Mrs.  Kouquette  reiterated  her  instructions,  and 
then  fondly  embraced  her  little  son,  bidding  him  write 
regularly  and  tell  her  everything.  Adrien  promised  and 
waved  his  handkerchief  as  long  as  his  tear-dimmed  eyes  al- 
lowed him  to  see  the  dear  figure  standing  on  the  wharf, 
until  the  boat  was  out  of  sight.  A  new  life  was  to  begin 
for  Adrien,  and  this  was  a  pleasant  part  of  it.  There  was 
no  section  of  the  boat  unexplored,  and  whenever  a  way 
landing  occupied  any  length  of  time  the  boys  were  allowed 
to  go  on  shore.  The  steady  companionship  with  boys  a 
good  deal  older  than  himself  had  an  excellent  effect.  It 
showed  Adrien  what  he  had  failed  to  acquire,  brought 
home  to  him  his  ignorance  and  backwardness.  These  in- 
fluences prepared  Adrien  to  make  a  good  beginning  in  his 
college  career,  for  he  inwardly  resolved  to  make  up  for 
lost  time,  give  pleasure  thereby  to  his  mother  and  please 
his  Heavenly  Father. 

Unfortunately  there  are  no  details  to  be  had  of  this 
period  of  Adrien's  life,  save  a  few  salient  facts.  Notwith- 
standing his  resolves,  there  were  occasional  lapses  into 
idle  habits,  and  these  were  followed  by  salutary  punish- 
ment, but  these  occurrences  grew  rarer  and  the  boy  de- 
veloped into  a  thoroughly  satisfactory  student. 


POET-MISSIONAEY     OF     LOUISIANA.  33 

He  left  the  preparatory  school  with  honor  and  en- 
tered the  college  or  university,  where  he  achieved  great 
success. 

After  three  or  four  years'  steady  application  Adrien 
obtained  permission  to  go  to  a  private  institution  at  Man- 
tua, near  Philadelphia,  which  enjoyed  a  fine  reputation, 
and  Madame  Rouquette  was  only  too  well  pleased  with 
her  son's  progress  to  deny  a  request  which  might  aid  much 
in  spurring  his  ambition  to  attain  the  highest  excellence. 
For  this  promised  to  the  mother's  pride,  the  fulfilment  of 
her  cherished  desire  to  have  Adrien  enter  the  professional 
rank  and  acquire  celebrity.  This  trip  was  not  as  easy  to 
make  as  was  that  from  New  Orleans,  but  it  was  perhaps 
more  interesting,  and  certainly  more  varied. 

It  would  be  useless  to  describe  the  progress  of  the 
boats,  and  the  uncomfortable  stage  coaches,  as  all  these 
details  are  given  in  the  lives  of  most  of  our  early  mission- 
aries. Adrien  was  young  and  enjoyed  what  would  be  pain- 
ful to  an  older  person. 

He  reached  Mantua  and  spent  at  least  a  year  there, 
and  was  so  well  advanced  in  his  studies  that  the  masters 
deemed  it  advisable,  should  he  desire  to  continue  his  ed- 
ucation further,  that  he  should  enter  one  of  the  greater 
universities,  so  at  the  close  of  his  term,  in  his  seventeenth 
year,  Adrien  returned  to  New  Orleans.  We  can  readily 
imagine  the  sentiments  of  Madame  Rouquette  when  the 
day  arrived  on  which  her  Adrien  was  to  return.  Love  and 
pride  each  strove  for  the  mastery,  though  I  fancy  the 
former  predominated.    And  Adrien?    What  were  his  feel- 


34  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

ings?  Mingled  hopes  and  fears;  joy  at  the  thought  of 
again  meeting  his  loved  ones,  and  vague  fears  lest  some 
barrier  be  raised  to  prevent  his  ever  renewing  the  old 
friendship  with  the  Choctaw  youths.  He  little  dreamed 
of  the  near  future  awaiting  him — nor  did  Madame  Rou- 
quette  as  yet  think  of  what  she  was  so  soon  to  do.  Mean- 
while Adrien  reached  home. 

He  left  it  a  child  and  now  he  was  closing  that  volume 
of  his  life — his  childhood. 


CHAPTER    FOURTH. 

STUDIES   ABROAD. 

The  late  arrival  of  the  boat  left  little  time  that  night 
for  Madame  Rouquette  to  study  with  a  fond  maternal  eye 
the  changes  time,  development  and  athletic  exercises  had 
wrought  in  Adrien. 

Early  next  morning,  knowing  that  of  old  her  son  had 
wont  to  love  an  early  ramble,  and  feeling  sure  this  first 
day  at  home  would  find  him  anxious  to  visit  every  nook 
and  corner  of  his  old  time  haunts,  she  descended  to  the 
breakfast  room  to  await  his  entrance  and  feast  her  eyes 
upon  his  manly  figure.  She  did  not  have  to  wait  long  be- 
fore his  firm,  bouyant  step  announced  his  coming,  and  in 
a  few  moments  the  mother  and  son,  in  a  loving  embrace, 
told  each  other  the  joy  of  reunion.  Then  bidding 
Adrien  walk  back  some  distance  from  her,  Madame  Rou- 
quette examined  him  with  pardonable  pride. 

Above  middle  size,  tall  for  his  age,  strongly  built, 
with  a  well-knit  sinewy  frame,  yet  agile,  supple  and  in 
every  motion  graceful,  his  broad  shoulders  giving  the  im- 
pression of  physical  strength,  while  his  air  of  ease,  almost 
amounting  to  dignity,  his  reserved  and  thoughtful  coun- 
tenance denoted  self-control  and  moral  power.  Jet  black 
hair  framed  a  broad  brow  bespeaking  intellectual  develop- 
ment, and  beneath  heavy  black  eyebrows  his  large  black 
eyes  sparkled  and  shone  with  lustre  upon  the  least  ex- 


36  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

citement,  and  looked  straight  forward  with  a  glance  so 
limpid,  pure,  frank  and  honest  that  one  felt  instinctively 
that  Adrien  Rouquette  commanded  implicit  trust,  and  con- 
fidence, and  was  utterly  incapable  of  any  deed  he  would 
fear  to  lay  before  the  world. 

At  the  same  time  a  merry  twinkle  revealed  the  boyish 
glee  and  very  delight  of  existence  in  God's  beautiful  world 
with  its  pleasant  inhabitants.  Such  was  the  picture  that 
Madame  Rouquette  gazed  upon  with  sentiments  of  love 
and  gratification. 

Unfortunately,  as  the  old  adage  tells  us,  "there  is  no 
rose  without  a  thorn,"  and  a  few  moments,  conversation 
revealed  the  sad  fact  to  his  mother  that  Adrien  had  nearly 
forgotten  his  mother-tongue.  The  discovery  was  appalling! 
Why  had  she  not  foreseen  such  an  event!  Why  had  she 
not  arranged  some  means  to  have  her  son  continue  the 
study  of  French,  or,  in  fine,  why  had  she  not  sent  him  to  a 
place  where  he  stood  in  no  danger  of  losing  the  use  of 
his  own  beautiful  language!  Such  were  the  interior  self- 
expostulations  of  Madame  Rouquette  after  Adrien  had  left 
the  house  and  she  had  the  leisure  to  think. 

To  understand  fully  the  annoyance  caused  by  this  dis- 
covery, we  must  recall  the  state  of  affairs  existing  in  New 
Orleans  at  the  time  when  the  Western  States  were 
threatening  to  battle  for  the  right  to  use  the  river,  harbor 
and  city  for  purposes  of  commerce.  It  is  true  the  Louis- 
iana purchase  settled  that  score  amicably,  and  Northern 
and  Western  merchants  and  manufacturers  poured  into 
the  long-coveted  foothold,  stirring  up  a  lively  traffic  with 


POET-MISSIOXARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  37 

their  energy  and  determination.  Little  by  little  the  num- 
bers so  increased  that  the  new-comers  formed  a  strong 
party  in  the  business  quarter  of  New  Orleans,  and  while  it 
became  evident  that  the  new  element  was  opening  a  period 
of  great  development  for  the  city,  there  was  a  sentiment 
among  the  original  inhabitants  that  somewhat  resembled 
dislike,  and  aggression.  The  Americans,  as  they  were 
called,  built  their  homes  chiefly  above  Canal  Street,  which 
served  as  a  sort  of  dividing  line  between  the  French  and 
American  quarters.  There  it  was  neutral  ground,  but  so- 
cial functions  generally  assembled  in  their  own  respective 
sections,  the  elite  of  French  or  American  families.  In 
those  olden  days  many  a  distinguished  lady  boasted  that 
she  had  never  crossed  Canal  Street  to  enter  the  opposite 
half  of  the  city.  So  in  general  among  the  old  families  of 
the  French  and  Spanish  dominions  there  was  somewhat  of 
an  antipathy  toward  the  English  language — suggestive,  as 
it  were,  of  the  encroachment  of  the  Americans.  Hence  we 
can  understand  Madame  Rouquette's  horror  when  she 
learned  that  Adrien  knew  more  English  than  French.  This 
was  a  cloud  obscuring  some  of  the  sunshine  of  the  home- 
coming. Adrien  had  left  his  mother  to  begin  his  tour  of  re- 
connaissance among  the  slaves  and  even  among  the  domes- 
tic animals — playfellows  of  childhood  days.  While  he 
was  enjoying  the  praise  and  admiration  of  old  Mammy 
and  other  dusky  friends,  his  mother  was  busy  planning 
another  change  for  him.  Her  son  was  a  descendant  of  an 
old  French  family,  and  her  will  that  he  should  embrace  a 
profession  and  become  illustrious  was  not  to  be  thwarted, 
her  ambition  must  be  satisfied! 

461516 


38  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

Before  the  family  met  at  dinner  everything  had  been 
arranged  for  the  near  future,  and  we  can  imagine  the 
young  man's  surprise  when  his  mother  told  him  to  prepare 
at  once  to  depart  on  a  voyage. 

He  was  somewhat  disappointed.  What,  not  even 
given  time  to  cross  the  Bayou  and  seek  out  his  Indian 
comrades  of  some  years  ago?  Well,  it  cannot  be  helped,  so 
we  must  try  to  find  some  pleasing  side  to  the  situation. 
At  seventeen  one  has  curiosity,  love  of  excitement,  and 
change,  and  finds  so  much  delight  in  travel  that  the  mere 
suggestion  is  pleasurable. 

Besides  these  sentiments,  Adrien  had  been  so  long 
absent  that  no  ties  beyond  family  affection  bound  him  to 
his  home. 

"But  where,"  he  asked,  "am  I  to  go,  and  for  what 
purpose?" 

"You  will  take  the  steamer  that  sails  in  a  few  days 
for  France,"  replied  Madame  Rouquette,  'and  go  directly 
to  Paris  to  continue  your  studies." 

This  was  news  indeed,  and  opened  a  horizon  all  aglow 
with  the  brilliant  scenes  that  his  imagination  began  to  pic- 
ture. To  France,  "la  belle  France,"  the  land  of  chivalrous 
deeds  of  heroes  and  of  saints,  the  home  of  art  and  science, 
the  shrine  of  beauty,  the  land  whose  history  had  made  him 
dream  of  its  glories.  Adrien  was  ready — was  happy  to 
go,  and  in  a  few  days  more  was  out  of  sight  of  his  native 
land,  beginning  the  long,  dull  voyage,  uneventful,  unless 
a  storm  arose,  and  then  dangerous.  He  had  ample  time 
for  reflection  and  the  immensity  of  the  deep,  the  solemnity 


POET-MISSIONAEY     OF     LOUISIANA.  39. 

of  the  scene,  brought  him  nearer  to  his  God  than  since  the 
days  when  he  fancied  the  faint  rustling  of  the  forest  leaves 
to  be  the  whispering  of  God  to  His  creatures.  Now  the 
beautiful  sunrise,  the  glowing  sunset,  the  gleam  of  the 
waves  in  the  moonlight,  each  told  him  of  some  attribute  of 
the  Divinity,  of  some  secret  of  the  soul's  communication 
with  its  Maker.  Adrien  was  always  to  study,  see  and  love 
the  Creator  in  the  beauties  of  His  creation. 

Charles  X  was  reigning  at  this  time,  1829,  but  the  gov- 
ernment was  by  no  means  stable,  and  the  next  year  was  to 
see  Paris  in  the  throes  of  another  revolution. 

France  experienced  one  disturbance  after  another, 
and  while  suffering  politically,  had  seen  during  the  great 
revolution,  both  art  and  literature  descend  in  the  same 
scale,  and  what  the  tyranny  and  bloodshed  of  the  Reign 
of  Terror  had  effected  materially  was  reflected  in  the  in- 
tellectual and  moral  world  by  the  writings  of  Rousseau, 
Diderot,  Voltaire  and  others.  The  dawn  of  the  nineteenth 
century  had  brought  an  awakening  of  the  Christian  spirit 
and  true  genius  with  the  renown  of  young  Chateaubriand, 
Joseph  de  Maistre,  Lamartine  and  a  number  of  other  dis- 
tinguished writers. 

Strange  to  say,  the  great  Revolution  had  spared  the 
"College  Royal,"  as  it  was  again  called  under  the  Res- 
toration. This  institute  was  founded  in  1530  by  Francis 
I,  to  teach  Hebrew  and  Greek,  neither  being  included  in 
the  curriculum  of  the  University  of  Paris.  Four  years 
later  the  founder  granted  a  new  chair  of  Latin  oratory 
to  the  "College  de  France,"  as  it  was  then  called.    This 


40  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

event  changed  the  name  to  "College  of  Three  Languages." 
Under  Louis  XIII  it  was  first  called  College  Royal,  but 
when  the  Eevolution  came  the  term  "National"  was  sub- 
stituted for  Royal  and  later  Napoleon  converted  this  into 
"Imperial."  Students  were  admitted  free,  and  ihey 
flocked  in  great  numbers  from  all  over  Europe  to  profit  by 
the  splendid  advantages  offered. 

Francis  had  also  added  chairs  of  mathematics,  medi- 
cine and  philosophy;  Charles  IX  that  of  surgery;  Henry 
III  that  of  the  Arabic  languages;  Henry  IV  two  for  bot- 
any and  astronomy;  Louis  XIII  canon  law  and  the  Syriac 
language;  Louis  XV  French  literature  and  Louis  XVIII 
chairs  of  Sanskrit  and  Chinese.  These  statistics,  with 
the  list  of  eminent  men  who  formed  the  brilliant  faculty, 
will  give  us  an  idea  of  the  great  advantages  such  a  mind 
as  that  of  Adrien  Rouquette  could  derive  from  a  course  of 
study  under  such  favorable  circumstances. 

After  a  long,  but  not  unpleasant  voyage,  he  reached 
the  great  metropolis,  and  though  at  first  somewhat  bewil- 
dered, expressed  his  desire  of  entering  the  college  ranks 
at  once.  He  had  letters  of  introduction  to  several  influ- 
ential gentlemen,  and  in  a  short  while  was  comfortably 
established  in  good  lodgings  within  the  vicinity  of  the 
college  and  beginning  in  earnest  the  purpose  of  his  com- 
ing. It  was  about  the  Fall  of  1829  and  until  the  outbreak 
of  the  great  political  upheaval  of  July  25,  1830,  he  worked 
with  zeal  and  ardor,  making  great  strides  in  knowledge 
and  science. 

The  political  horizon  did  not  seem  very  clear,  and 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  41 

his  friends  advised  Adrien  to  withdraw  from  Paris  and  go 
to  Nantes  to  pursue  his  studies.  This  was  well  suited  to 
his  taste,  as  he  realized  that  the  whirlpool  of  fashionable 
frivolities  was  drawing  him  into  its  dangerous  vortex,  and 
with  his  impassioned  nature,  he  feared  to  be  engulfed. 

Recommendations  from  the  college  and  from  his 
friends  placed  him  advantageously  at  Nantes. 

This  ancient  capital  of  Brittany,  situated  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Loire  at  the  junction  of  the  Erdre,  offered 
multiple  attractions  to  the  young  student.  The  ancient 
part  of  the  city  had  been  walled  about  until  the  seven- 
teenth century,  and  with  its  quaint,  old  buildings  and 
narrow  streets,  seemed  to  take  one  back  to  the  stirring 
scenes  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

Adrien  had  resolved  not  to  allow  any  of  the  Parisian 
dissipations  to  hamper  his  progress,  hence  he  spent  many 
hours  searching  among  the  college  folios  for  minute  de- 
scriptions of  those  olden  days. 

The  Cathedral  of  St.  Pierre  contained  the  mausoleum 
of  the  last  duke  of  Brittany,  and  the  semi-Gothic  castle 
whose  chapel,  used  as  a  powder  magazine,  and  in  1800 
blown  up,  thus  mutilating  the  famous  pile  to  a  great  ex- 
tent, proved  most  interesting  to  the  young  student  of  his- 
torical antiquities. 

Here  Henry  IV  in  1598  had  signed  the  Edict  of  Nan- 
tes, giving  freedom  of  worship  to  Protestants.  In  1654 
the  castle  had  become  the  prison  of  the  Cardinal  de  Retz, 
but  besides  these  recollections  every  part  of  the  building 
was  connected  with  the  sojourn  of  one  or  another  monarch, 


42  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

for  most  of  the  French  Kings  from  Charles  VIII,  had  made 
this  a  royal  residence,  and  all  these  historic  souvenirs 
were  more  attractive  to  Adrien  than  even  the  museum  with 
its  thousand  paintings  and  its  three  hundred  sculptures. 

Young  Rouquette  had  rooms  in  the  new  part  of  the 
city,  which  was  built  of  white  stone  and  beautified  by  some 
fine  boulevards ;  but  now  these  offered  few  enticements  to 
him.  His  natural  bent  of  mind  inclined  him  to  avoid  gay 
throngs,  such  as  were  to  be  met  had  he  frequented  the 
fashionable  resorts,  so  when  freedom  from  college  duties 
gave  him  the  leisure,  he  turned  his  steps  toward  the  castle, 
the  cathedral  or  some  other  antique,  sequestered  nook, 
where  undisturbed  he  could  pursue  some  favorite  train  of 
thought.  But  Nantes  did  not  keep  our  young  student  any 
longer  than  Paris  had,  and  the  next  year  found  him  in  an- 
other famous  old  city  of  Brittany,  the  old-time  fortified 
town  at  the  junction  of  the  rivers  Hie  and  Vilaine,  whose 
ancient  name  of  Condate  was  changed  into  its  modern 
appellation  of  Rennes,  from  the  Armorican  Tribe  called 
by  the  Romans,  Redones.  This  people  had  been  independ- 
ent, until  the  marriage  of  Anne  of  Brittany  to  Charles 
VIII  of  France  made  them  vassals  to  the  French  crown. 

Adrien's  principal  object  in  coming  to  Rennes  was  to 
benefit  by  the  fine  faculties  of  science  and  literature  offered 
by  the  college  there;  and  at  the  same  time  profit  by  the 
magnificent  library,  one  of  the  city's  chief  attractions. 

There  is  also  a  fine  art  gallery,  but  he  was  too  much 
in  books  and  preparations  for  his  examinations,  in  the 
hope  of  winning  his  degree,  to  allow  any  other  attraction 


TOET-MISSIONAEY     OF     LOUISIANA.  43 

to  rob  him  of  the  precious  time  of  study.  Among  the 
Bretons  Adrien  was  in  his  element.  They  are  a  hardy, 
noble  race,  strong  in  faith,  bold  in  courage,  with  a  virility 
that  knows  neither  softness  or  frivolity,  and  as  step  by 
step  we  follow  our  hero  through  the  various  stages  of  his 
life  we  cannot  help  but  see  how  the  wisdom  of  God  was 
leading  him  on,  unconsciously  to  himself,  unknown  even 
to  his  intimates  and  familiars,  but  in  a  clear  and  merci- 
ful way,  as  we  who  view  his  life  in  the  perspective  of  al- 
most a  century,  can  so  plainly  see.  Providence  had 
brought  him  to  Rennes  and  so  arranged  circumstances  that 
ibesides  the  worldly  wisdom  he  came  to  seek,  many  another 
lesson  of  spiritual  intelligence  was  to  be  instilled  into  his 
soul,  so  generous  and  ardent  in  the  pursuit  of  what  he 
deemed  worthy  of  his  upright  and  loyal  adherence.  Never 
before  had  Adrien  been  placed  in  contact  with  staunch 
and  earnest  Catholics  whose  faith  had  never  been  shaken 
and  could  never  waver,  and  to  whom  faith  and  practice 
were  equivalent  terms.  Such  Catholics  had  he  found 
among  the  Bretons. 

In  New  Orleans  faith  and  piety  had  suffered  much 
from  the  unsettled  state  of  affairs  at  the  beginning  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  In  1820  there  were  hardly  twenty 
Paschal  communions  in  the  whole  city.  This  condition 
the  holy  Bishop  Dubourg  set  himself  to  remedy  as  soon  as 
possible,  and  the  noble  zeal  of  his  successors  was  so  suc- 
cessful that  by  1835  there  were  ten  thousand  communions 
at  Easter,  and  the  able  auxiliaries,  the  Jesuits  and  the 
Religious  of  the  Sacred  Heart  were  established  and  began 


44  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

the  formation  of  that  galaxy  of  pious  Catholic  youths 
and  maidens,  the  ornament  and  pride  of  the  Church  in 
Louisiana. 

True  Adrien  had  not  seen  much  of  the  religious  con- 
dition in  his  native  place,  having  spent  much  time  at 
school,  but  the  influence  had  been  felt,  and  his  sojourn 
in  the  North  had  not  tended  to  foster  or  strengthen  his 
religious  inclinations. 

And  now  to  be  transferred  to  the  heart  of  Brittany, 
the  home  of  piety  and  the  devout  practice  of  religion,  was 
to  effect  in  his  soul  that  which  takes  place  when  a  plant 
in  bud  is  transferred  from  a  dark,  cold  place  into  the 
warmth  and  light  of  a  hothouse.  The  bud  develops,  un- 
folds, expands  and  blooms  into  fragrance  and  beauty.  But 
Adrien  was  so  far  almost  unaware  of  this  awakening  of 
his  soul. 

Time  was  speeding  away  as  on  wings  and  at  last  suc- 
cess was  to  crown  the  young  student.  March  26,  1833,  he 
passed  brilliant  examinations  and  received  with  the  ap- 
plause of  his  many  friends  his  degree  of  Baccalaureate. 

France  had  crowned  him  with  honors,  friends  smiled 
upon  him,  and  invitations  poured  in  to  visit  fellow-students 
in  various  parts  of  the  country  before  he  left  Europe  for 
America. 

He  accepted  many  and  spent  some  very  pleasant 
weeks  flitting  about  from  place  to  place  in  the  beautiful 
valley  of  the  Loire,  studying  the  old  legends  and  mediae- 
val romances  connected  with  the  history  of  so  many  an 
ancient  castle  and  famous  abbey. 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  45 

He  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  beauty  and  luxury  of  the 
places  where  he  was  entertained,  but  some  how  there  was 
a.  void  in  his  heart  that  nothing  filled.  It  seemed  to 
him  that  the  dwellings  built  by  human  art  could  never 
supply  what  he  experienced  in  the  groves,  the  prime- 
val forests  of  his  native  land,  as  he  used  to  say.  Even  the 
grandest,  richest  palace  or  castle  seemed  "small  and  cold" 
when  he  thought  of  life  in  the  heart  of  Nature.  Thus  the 
sweet  Spring-tide  and  beautiful  Summer  vanished  and 
Adrien  bade  adieu  to  France  and  the  many  friends  he  had 
made,  and  was  once  more  on  the  ocean  counting  the  days 
that  must  drag  by  so  slowly  before  he  could  say  once  more : 
"Home  again." 

The  voyage  was  long  and  so  momentous  in  the  after- 
life of  Adrien  that  it  merits  more  than  a  passing  mention. 
Here  again  we  see  the  admirable  designs  of  God's  Provi- 
dence in  placing  Adrien  in  the  role  of  protector  to  two 
holy  Sisters  of  Mount  Carmel,  coming  over  to  make  a 
foundation  of  their  Order  in  Louisiana.  They  sailed  from 
Havre,  September  8, 1833,  and  fifty-two  days  were  to  elapse 
before  they  entered  the  harbor  of  New  Orleans.  In  the 
daily  life  on  shipboard  the  passengers  are  thrown  to- 
gether and  become  very  well  known  to  one  another,  and 
this  daily  intercourse  of  the  young  Louisianian  with  the 
daughters  of  Our  Lady  of  Mount  Carmel  became  a  source 
of  great  edification  to  Adrien.  He  never  tired  of  convers- 
ing with  them  and  never  left  their  presence  without  a 
deeper  sentiment  of  piety  in  his  own  soul  and  a  higher 
ideal  of  the  life  which  is  a  complete  oblation  and  pure 


46  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

sacrifice  to  the  great  God  on  high.  The  perfume  of  their 
virtues  lingered  in  the  sanctuary  of  his  own  soul,  and  little 
by  little,  gave  birth  to  a  dissatisfied  sense  of  the  vague  and 
emptiness  of  his  own  life — and  often  as  he  paced  the  deck 
alone,  gazing  aloft  at  the  heavens,  he  would  dream  of  the 
future  and  plan  out  in  heroic  measure  the  life  he  felt  he 
was  but  now  beginning. 

Adrien  was  much  interested  in  the  history  of  the  Or- 
der of  Mount  Carmel  and  the  venerable  Mother  Therese, 
one  of  the  early  members  and  a  foundress,  gave  him  a 
full  account  of  the  origin,  progress  and  subsequent  perse- 
cution which  led  to  this  voyage  to  the  hospitable  shores 
of  the  New  World. 

SISTERS  OF  CARMEL. 

O  virgins  of  Carmel,  whose  life  is  a  prayer, 
Whose  hearts  are  untouched  by  sin,  sorrow  or  care, 
Whose  home  is  a  cloister  of  peace  and  delight. 
Where  pure  lips  forever,  by  day  and  by  night, 
Are  pouring  forth  praise  to  our  Father  on  high, 
List  to  my  pleading,  hear  my  heart's  cry : — 
Pray  for  me,  Sisters,  when  morning  dawns  clear ; 
Pray  for  me,  Sisters,  when  shadows  draw  near ! 
What  to  me  is  vain  glory,  or  a  poet's  brief  fame, 
If  in  your  pleadings  you  breathe  but  my  name: 
If  my  poor  songs  and  your  oraisons  sweet 
In  the  heart  of  our  Savior  lovingly  meet, 
Then  at  hour  of  death  I  can  offer  this  plea : — 
My  muse,  dearest  Lord,  sang  only  for  Thee! 

Abbe  Rouquette. 


POET-MISSIOXARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  47 

In  1824  at  Tours  existed  a  flourishing  congregation  of 
the  Third  Order  of  Our  Lady  of  Mount  Carmel.  A  holy 
priest  of  Tours,  Rev.  Father  Charles  Boutelou,  witnessing 
the  zeal  and  piety  of  the  members,  conceived  the  idea  of 
forming  them  into  a  religious  community.  He  obtained 
the  approbation  of  both  the  Archbishop  and  Vicar-General, 
and  after  overcoming  innumerable  obstacles  from  other 
quarters,  in  1825  united  the  most  fervent  and  faithful  into 
a  religious  body.  Very  soon  their  numbers  increased,  their 
work  prospered,  and  they  spread  their  houses  in  many 
other  towns  and  villages.  Mother  Therese  had  succeeded 
the  second  Superior  and  had  just  established  her  commu- 
nity in  an  old  abbey  when  the  revolution  of  July  1830, 
broke  out. 

Rev.  Father  Boutelou  was  accused  of  being  a  royalist, 
and  the  same  odium  fell  upon  the  Religious.  The  venera- 
ble priest,  realizing  their  perilous  situation,  dispersed  the 
Sisters  first  and  then  escaped  to  Paris  in  disguise.  One 
of  the  first  persons  he  met  was  the  former  Bishop  of  New 
Orleans,  Mgr.  Dubourg,  who  had  come  to  France  in  the 
hope  of  recovering  his  health.  The  poor  priest  felt  drawn 
to  pour  out  the  tale  of  his  woes  and  sorrows  to  the  sym- 
pathetic heart  of  the  Bishop,  and  received  at  once  the  in- 
spired advice  to  sail  at  once  for  America  with  the  Sisters 
of  Mount  Carmel.  The  prelate  even  gave  Father  Boute- 
lou a  letter  of  recommendation  for  Bishop  de  Neekere,  his 
successor  to  the  See  of  New  Orleans. 

So  in  October,  1830,  Father  Boutelou  sailed  for  Amer- 
ica to  prepare  the  way  for  the  Sisters. 


48  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

Bishop  Neckere  received  him  cordially  and  kept  hiui 
some  days  at  the  episcopal  residence,  where  they  could 
talk  over  and  arrange  all  for  the  speedy  coming  of  the 
Order  of  Mount  Carmel.  Just  at  that  time  the  Religious 
of  the  Sacred  Heart  were  obliged  to  resign  their  establish- 
ment in  Assumption  Parish  and  the  Bishop  offered  their 
convent  to  the  Sisters,  while  the  great  extent  of  surround- 
ing territory  was  to  be  the  fields  of  labor  of  the  holy  mis- 
sionary. After  visiting  the  locality,  Father  Boutelou  ar- 
ranged with  the  Bishop  that  the  Vicar-General,  Father 
Jean-Jean,  about  to  visit  France,  should  meet  Mother 
Therese  in  Paris  and  decide  the  departure  of  the  Religious 
for  America. 

Many  of  the  Sisters,  after  the  dispersion,  had  taken 
refuge  in  other  Orders,  so  only  two  responded  to  the  invi- 
tation— Mother  Therese  and  Sister  Augustin,  the  two  trav- 
eling companions  of  Adrien  Rouquette. 

Bishop  de  Neckere  died  just  before  they  reached  New 
Orleans.  Adrien  saw  that  they  were  safe  under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Vicar-General,  Father  Blanc,  later  Bishop 
of  New  Orleans.  He  was  a  very  holy  man,  and  though 
Bishop  de  Neckere  had  obtained  from  Rome  the  bulls  for 
his  consecration,  it  was  only  in  1835  that  he  could  be  pre- 
vailed upon  to  consent  to  receive  the  dignity  and  respon- 
sibility. He  was  full  of  zeal  and  gladly  welcomed  the  new 
laborers  to  the  vineyard,  and  saw  them  established  in  the 
spot  chosen  by  the  late  Bishop.  It  was  with  genuine  sat- 
isfaction that  Bishop  Blanc  witnessed  their  success  and 
numerous  foundations.  Four  years  later  he  called  the 
Order  to  New  Orleans. 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  49 

Bishop  Blanc  loved  the  religious  Orders,  and  one  of 
his  first  acts  as  Bishop  was  to  call  the  Lazarists,  Redemp- 
torists  and  other  congregations  of  men  and  women  to 
open  schools  and  take  charge  of  charitable  institutions. 

Adrien  Rouquette,  ever  after  this  memorable  voyage, 
recalled  the  pleasure  of  the  intercourse,  which,  he  was 
happy  to  say,  had  laid  the  foundation  of  that  work  of  grace 
in  his  soul  which  made  him  a  priest  forever  according  to 
the  order  of  Melchisedeck.  And  furthermore,  led  him  later 
to  that  Indian  apostolate  which  he  followed  with  saintly 
zeal  for  twenty-nine  years  of  his  holy  life. 


CHAPTER  V. 

ROMANCE. 

The  opening  lines  of  "La  Nouvelle  Atala"  reveal  the 
sntinients  with  which  Adrien  must  have  again  pressed 
the  soil  of  his  birthplace  when  he  landed  once  more  in 
New  Orleans:  "Dieu  a  mis  dans  le  coeur  de  Vhomme 
V amour  de  la  patrie.  II  nest  pas  d'homme  civilise  qui  ne 
prefere  sou  pays  a  tons  les  autres  pays." 

NEW  ORLEANS  IN  THE  FORTIES. 

O  city  of  beauty,  my  birthplace  and  home, 
My  heart's  deep  devotion  from  thee  cannot  roam ; 
Thy  murmuring  waters  sang  soft  as  I  slept, 
Round  my  cradle  thy  trees  their  guardianship  kept. 
In  my  infancy  thou  wert  a  village  so  calm, 
Now  with  New  York  thou  disputest  the  palm ! 
O  city  once  French !  hold  that  glory  to  thee. 
Once  vassal  of  Spain !  make  their  chivalry  be 
The  crown  of  thy  sons,  the  shield  of  thy  maids, 
Thy  own  special  flower  that  nevermore  fades ! 
Ever  dear  to  my  heart,  ever  fair  to  my  eyes 
Wert  thou — when,  poor  exile,  I  grieved  for  thy  skies, 
And  mid  pleasures  abroad  I  longed  for  the  day, 
When  clasped  in  thy  arms  I  should  never  more  stray. 

Abbe  Rouquette. 

This  home-coming  was  joyous  in  every  way.  Now  there 
was  no  cloud  to  intercept  the  sunshine  of  exultant  pride 


POET-MISSIOXAEY     OF     LOUISIANA.  51 

with  which  the  young  Baccalaureate  was  welcomed  by 
his  family  and  friends,  and  at  once  multiple  plans  were 
formed  for  a  brilliant  season  in  society.  Here,  in  this 
other  French  capital,  New  Orleans,  Adrien,  with  his  Par- 
isian courtesies  and  French  urbanity,  would  be  sure  to 
charm  the  young  Creole  belles,  and,  who  knows,  a  most 
desirable  match  might  be  the  result?  This  would  fulfill 
at  least  one  part  of  Madame  Rouquette's  dream  for  her 
favorite  child. 

But  Adrien  was  almost  a  stranger  in  the  midst  of  his 
own  home-circle,  so  he  gladly  postponed  visits  and  enter- 
tainments until  he  had  renewed  old  ties  of  family  life. 
What  joy  to  Mammy  to  be  able  to  gaze  upon  the  nursling 
of  former  days  and  expatiate  upon  "Mars  Adrien's"  im- 
provement. 

All  the  servants  would  gather  round,  delighted  to  hear 
their  young  master  converse  with  them  in  their  own  soft 
and  liquid  patois.  It  ever  had  a  peculiar  charm  for  Adrien, 
and  years  later  when  he  had  long  worn  the  poet's  laurels, 
he  still  loved  to  lapse  into  the  language  of  the  French 
negro.  Some  time  passed  in  this  way,  and  when  urged  by 
his  mother  to  join  some  pleasure  party,  the  young  man 
always  had  some  excuse. 

He  felt  no  inclination  to  enter  society;  the  frivolities 
of  the  gay  world  had  no  attractions  for  him.  Another 
quotation  from  his  "Atala"  can  jDerhaps  best  express  his 
opinion  of  those  butterflies  of  fashion  who  "forgot  God 
and  forgot  themselves,  inebriated  by  the  pleasures  which 
whirl  them  on,  in  the  midst  of  a  cloud  of  artificial  per- 


52  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOU.QUETTE, 

fume,  who  give  themselves  over  to  the  delirium  of  the 
dance  and  of  all  those  passions  which  sear  the  soul  and 
destroy  its  beauty;  who  deceive  and  are  deceived;  who 
corrupt  and  are  corrupted;  who  give  and  receive  death. 

"Oh  world !"  he  exclaims,  "you  make  slaves  of  your  sub- 
jects, you  break  asunder  the  most  sacred  unions;  you  an- 
nihilate the  most  holy  resolutions,  and  yet  the  multitudes 
hasten  to  your  festivities.  Open  your  theatres,  open  your 
ball-rooms,  open  your  reception  halls,  and  the  crowds  will 
throng  them  precipitately,  hearts  palpitating  with  excite- 
ment, subjugated  by  your  pompous  playthings,  by  your 
glittering  vanities.  Alas!  Of  what  use  are  all  these  en- 
ticements! Vanity  of  vanities!  since  they  must  termi- 
nate in  a  coffin,  in  a  grave ;  in  oblivion !" 

Still  invitations  poured  in,  there  were  solicitations  at 
home  and  from  without — all  seemed  determined  to  launch 
Adrien  into  the  midst  of  the  circle  of  amusements.  He  was 
almost  forced  to  appear  several  times — and  his  reserve, 
dignity  and  refined  manners — made  quite  an  impression. 

He  had  travelled  and  made  good  use  of  his  powers  of 
observation;  he  had  met  noted  men  and  women,  so  he 
always  had  some  real  subject  of  conversation,  and  did  not 
know  how  to  while  away  the  moments  in  that  vain  and  idle 
chit-chat  which  passes  sometimes  under  the  name  of  con- 
versation. His  memory  was  excellent  and  furnished  many  a 
bright  and  witty  anecdote  which  pleased  both  young  and 
old.    So  Adrien  promised  to  become  the  lion  of  the  day. 

But,  such  was  not  his  ambition,  and  regardless  of  what 
people  might  think  or  say,  a  short  while  after  his  arrival,  he 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  53 

took  a  "conge,"  with  no  companion  but  his  books,  and  fled 
to  the  solitude  of  the  forest,  seeking  the  banks  of  that 
niueh-loved  Bayou  Lacombe,  which  appeared  more  desir- 
able than  the  court  of  any  king.  Here  he  found  the  hap- 
piness he  could  never  taste  in  social  city  life.  He  himself 
said :  "I  became  a  half  savage  as  I  wandered  through  the 
woods — and  I  dressed  as  did  the  young  Choctaws  and  lived 
as  they  did." 

It  was  not  long  before  he  had  found  out  many  of  his 
old  companions,  and  they  very  gladly  gave  him  shelter  in 
their  huts  and  shared  with  him  the  produce  of  their  sport. 

Adrien  did  not  seek  company,  he  preferred  to  be 
alone,  and  how  he  did  revel  in  the  silence  and  solitude  of 
the  lonely  forest!  He  has  told  us  somewhat  of  his  deep 
love  for  sylvan  beauty  when  he  describes  Atala  in  her 
woodland  home. 

"Solitary  she  interrogated  primitive  nature  and  prim- 
itive nature  has  answered  her.  She  loved  the  flowers,  the 
stars,  all  that  is  graceful,  all  that  is  beautiful,  all  that  is 
sublime,  all  that  reflects  the  ideal  and  unveils  a  glimpse 
of  the  Infinite.  Her  senses  were  ravished  in  the  presence 
of  the  flowers,  those  tinted  stars  of  our  earth,  and  by  the 
stars,  those  luminous  flowers  of  the  heavens.  She  was 
lost  in  admiration  as  she  contemplated  the  meeting  of 
the  horizon  of  verdure  with  the  azure  horizon  of  the 
heavens  and  gazing  at  the  distant  scene  which  attracted 
and  reposed  her  soul,  she  would  listen  while  God  spoke 
to  her  by  His  creation. " 

Similar  were  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  Adrien  as 


54  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

he  left  far  behind  the  habitations  of  men  to  indulge  in 
the  absence  of  social  thralldom  and  enjoy  to  his  heart's 
content  a  period  of  perfect  freedom. 

One  can  picture  the  erstwhile  student,  with  no  an- 
noying obligations,  wandering  alone,  undisturbed,  breath- 
ing in  with  every  breath  a  deeper  love  for  the  life  of  a 
solitary.  Or  one  can  see  him  lying  on  some  mossy  bank 
absorbed  in  the  perusal  of  the  books  he  had  brought  with 
him.  One  of  these  was  a  copy  of  Chateaubriand's  "Atala," 
aud  it  was  with  intense  interest  that  he  poured  over  its 
pages. 

Strange  indeed  the  influence  a  book  can  exert!  The 
whole  tenor  of  Adrien  Rouquette's  mind  was  changed.  He 
who  had  escaped  from  home  to  avoid  the  mere  possibility 
that  social  intercourse  might  settle  his  destiny  in  life  and 
convert  him  into  an  ordinary  benedict,  was  now  so  com- 
pletely metamorphosed  by  Chateaubriand's  glowing  word 
pictures,  that  it  is  hard  to  believe  the  result  a  possibility. 

Adrien's  young  soul  was  richly  endowed.  His  was  a 
poetic  temperament,  easily  yielding  to  the  inspiration  of 
such  scenes  as  the  gifted  author  has  depicted  so  vividly. 

At  this  time  his  soul  might  be  compared  to  a  very 
fertile  soil  awaiting  the  seed  of  the  sower,  but  meanwhile 
growing  wild  flowers  of  the  field ;  or  to  a  rich  mine  await- 
ing the  exploror,  while  in  the  meantime  the  little  nuggets 
of  yellow  gold  go  dancing  down  the  mountain  torrent. 

Under  the  influence  of  Chateaubriand's  magic  pen 
Adrien  was  wrought  up  to  an  unexpected  pitch  of  enthu- 
siasm.   As  he  read  the  tragic  tale  of  the  poor  Natchez  In- 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  55 

dians,  driven  away  from  their  peaceful  homes,  he  was 
fired  with  a  new  love  for  this  mistreated  race.  He  read 
on  and  on,  and  bj  degrees  a  romantic  sentiment  pervaded 
his  whole  soul.  He  longed  to  go  forth  and  do  battle  for 
the  injured  tribes,  to  spend  himself  for  them,  to  give  him- 
self to  them  and  become  as  one  of  them.  Was  that  thought 
born  of  a  ray  of  heaven-born  light?  Did  the  still,  small 
voice  whisper  in  his  ear  that  it  was  in  very  truth  to  be  so 
one  day?  The  time  would  come;  but  it  was  not  in  the 
designs  of  Providence  that  his  self-oblation  for  the  un- 
happy Indians  was  to  be  effected  in  the  romantic  way  his 
heated  imagination  had  now  pictured  it. 

The  sentimental  mood  which  had  now  become  his 
"vade  niecum,"  suggested  a  far  different  mode  of  execu- 
tion to  that  which  God  was  to  effect.  Adrien  read  and  re- 
read passages  which  had  most  affected  him.  No  distract- 
ing companion  was  at  his  side  to  change  the  channel  of 
thought,  so  as  he  wandered  hither  and  thither,  he  pon- 
dered and  planned  till  the  resolution  was  formed  to  go 
around  among  the  various  tribes  and  seek  his  Atala,  some 
Indian  maiden  whom  he  would  wed,  and  thereby  prove  his 
loyalty  to  the  people  he  so  loved. 

With  this  definite  object  in  view,  Adrien's  wanderings 
were  no  longer  desultory.  He  began  a  tour  of  the  differ- 
ent Indian  settlements,  ever  on  the  alert  to  receive  some 
sign  that  he  had  found  his  "Atala."  He  went  from  one 
camp  to  another,  but  revealed  to  none  the  reason  of  his 
visit,  expecting  always  to  meet  her  whom  he  might  deem 
worthy  to  play  the  role  of  Chateaubriand's  heroine.     So 


56  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

he  always  listened  attentively  to  what  might  be  said  of 
different  Indian  maidens — and  though  he  often  heard 
words  of  praise  for  one  or  another,  nothing  seemed  to  tell 
him  that  he  was  at  last  upon  the  trail. 

One  night,  after  he  had  spent  some  weeks  in  this  sort 
of  life,  he  sat  with  the  braves  around  the  eampfire,  and 
some  one  spoke  of  Oushola,  the  daughter  of  a  great  chief, 
head  of  a  numerous  tribe.  This  maiden's  wondrous  bird- 
like voice  had  given  her  the  name  of  "Bird-Singer."  Adrien 
started.    Was  not  this  the  sign  he  had  awaited? 

He  had  a  particular  affection  for  the  song-birds  of  the 
woodland,  and  would  stand  motionless,  revelling,  de- 
lighted, as  he  listened  to  an  outburst  of  melody  from  a 
mockingbird.  Not  a  word  of  the  brief  mention  of  Oushola 
was  lost,  and  he  silently  resolved  to  set  out  in  quest  of  the 
chief's  dwelling  place  as  soon  as  the  dawn  gave  the  signal 
to  break  up  camp. 

Early  next  morning  Adrien  bade  farewell  to  his  com- 
rades and  began  his  journey.  It  was  a  good  day's  walk, 
and  just  as  the  sun  was  disappearing  below  the  horizon, 
leaving  the  heavens  all  aglow  with  the  sunset  splendors, 
and  casting  a  rosy  hue  upon  all  surrounding  objects, 
Adrien  reached  the  home  of  an  Indian  chief  whose  first 
appearance  proclaimed  him  one  of  Nature's  noblemen. 

He  had  just  returned  from  the  chase  and  stood  before 
the  door  of  his  humble  cot  a  picture  to  tempt  an  artist. 

Tall,  erect,  strong,  dignified,  an  elderly  man,  his  gun 
upon  his  shoulder  and  a  fine  lot  of  game  in  his  hand,  he 
stood  in  the  light  that  lent  beauty  to  all  that  it  touched. 


POET- MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  37 

Hearing  the  step  of  a  stranger,  he  turned,  and  the  back- 
ground of  green  vines  which  luxuriously  mantled  the  front 
of  the  hut,  added  a  new  feature  to  the  scene.  Now  the 
reflection  from  the  crimson  clouds  gave  his  countenance  a 
brighter  hue  and  his  piercing  eye  sparkled  in  the  light  as 
he  gazed  at  the  new-comer — but  no  word  was  spoken  till 
Adrien  had  reached  his  presence  and  addressed  him. 

The  chief  inspired  respect  and  it  was  almost  with  ven- 
eration that  Adrien  craved  hospitality,  lodging  for  the  night 
and  food,  as  he  had  journeyed  all  day  and  had  tasted  noth- 
ing since  the  evening  previous.  The  chief  knew  at  once  who 
his  guest  was,  as  the  news  that  the  pale-face  was  in  their 
midst  had  spread  far  and  wide  among  the  Indians.  When 
he  had  heard  the  traveller's  request,  he  assented,  bade  him 
welcome,  and  advancing  to  the  door  of  the  hut  called 
twice:  "Oushola!  Oushola!"  In  a  few  seconds  a  young 
maiden  stood  in  the  doorway.  She  was  apparently  about 
sixteen  years  of  age,  with  so  striking  a  resemblance  to  the 
chief  that  one  easily  recognized  his  daughter. 

Adrien's  heart  beat  rapidly,  he  felt  that  this  maiden 
was  the  object  of  his  search  and  he  listened  for  the  sign.  If, 
when  she  spoke,  the  bird-like  tones  of  her  voice  thrilled  his 
ear,  he  would  be  sure  that  his  Atala  was  found.  He  leaned 
forward,  intent  to  catch  the  first  sound  of  her  reply,  and 
when  in  a  clear,  musical  voice  she  answered  her  father's 
request  to  take  the  game  and  prepare  food  and  lodging 
for  a  guest,  Adrien  trembled  with  excitement  and  was 
obliged  to  turn  away  and  walk  rapidly  up  and  down  before 
the  little  cot  until  the  nervous  tremor  was  under  control. 


58  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

HaATing-  disposed  of  bis  game  and  put  away  his  gun, 
the  chief  came  out  and  found  his  guest  in  the  pleasant 
evening  of  an  Indian  Summer  day.  Very  soon  he  had 
learned  the  reason  of  the  visit  and  that  having  seen  Ous- 
hola,  the  paleface  was  resolved  to  wed  the  Indian  maiden, 
if  her  father  assented  and  if  she  were  free — not  already 
promised  to  another.  The  chief  answered  that  she  was 
free  and  that  she  had  ever  been  a  gentle,  docile  child,  and 
she  would  place  no  obstacle  in  the  way.  For  himself,  he 
had  heard  of  the  white  brother  of  the  Choctaw  braves  for 
many  years,  and  thought  his  daughter  could  do  no  better 
by  wedding  one  of  her  own  race.  So  he  consented  to  the 
union. 

Adrien  requested  the  father  to  speak  first  to  his  daugh- 
ter, and  the  chief  promised  to  do  so  on  the  morrow. 

In  the  morning  Adrien  went  off  early,  leaving  the 
father  and  child  together,  and  toward  evening  when  he 
returned,  he  looked  at  the  chief  inquiringly.  He  nodded 
an  assent,  and  by  a  gesture  in  the  direction  of  the  interior 
of  the  hut,  indicated  that  Oushola  had  been  told. 

At  the  evening  meal  all  were  more  silent,  Oushola 
was  more  timid  and  reserved,  scarce  raising  her  eyes  while 
she  quietly  attended  to  the  needs  of  her  father  and  their 
guest,  and  as  soon  as  possible  she  retired  to  her  own 
humble  little  apartment. 

There  was  no  sentimentality,  no  tender  exchange  of 
love  tokens — in  this  strange  wooing,  all  was  arranged 
with  frank,  simple,  matter-of-fact  business-like,  straight- 
forwardness— rather    between    the    bride's    father    and 


POET-MISSIONAEY     OF     LOUISIANA.  59 

groom-elect  than  between  the  betrothed.  So  Oushola's 
haste  to  disappear  rose  not  from  any  uneasy  apprehension, 
but  rather  because  of  her  native  humility  and  modesty. 

The  beautiful  Fall  weather  seemed  now  about  to  give 
place  to  one  of  those  long,  cold,  rainy  spells  most  trying 
even  amidst  the  comforts  of  civilization.  Adrien  told  his 
host  that  he  intended  to  return  home  in  order  to  arrange 
all  his  affairs  and  then  he  would  come  to  claim  Oushola, 
and  in  his  new  life  never  more  to  leave  the  race  of  his 
adoption. 

The  chief  agreed,  and  Adrien,  having  bade  farewell  to 
Oushola,  departed. 

She  stood  at  the  door  and  watched  his  figure  until 
distance  hid  him  from  her  view,  then  turning  with  a  sigh, 
feeling  as  though  all  were  over,  and  she  were  simply 
awaiting  a  new  destiny,  re-entered  her  lowly  home.  As 
time  so  soon  would  tell,  her  presentiments  were  before 
long  to  be  fully  realized. 

It  was  not  without  some  trepidation  that  Adrien 
started  toward  New  Orleans.  By  the  time  he  reached 
Bayou  Lacombe  he  had  reflected  seriously  on  the  obstacles 
sure  to  oppose  his  plan  once  his  aristocratic  mother  and 
family  became  aware  of  what  he  proposed  to  do.  He  could 
so  well  imagine  the  tears,  expostulations,  entreaties,  in- 
dignant refusal  to  hear  of  such  a  misalliance,  that  day 
after  day  passed  and  he  did  nothing  but  ponder  over  the 
situation,  never  reaching  a  satisfactory  conclusion. 

Then  took  place  the  torrential  rain,  the  cold  weather, 
and  made  almost  impassable  the  gullies  which  lay  between 


60  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

his  present  abode  and  the  lake.  He  was  not  sorry  to  be 
allowed  more  time,  for  he  really  had  not  the  courage  to 
meet  Madame  Rouquette  and  shatter  her  hopes  of  so  many 
years.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  Adrien  was  not  under  the  in- 
fluence of  that  all-absorbing  passion — love. 

Finally  the  bright  sunshine  came  to  draw  him  forth 
and  he  had  journeyed  all  day,  when  about  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon  he  reached  that  beautiful  plain  lying  between 
Bayou  Lacombe  and  Mandeville. 

Just  then  he  perceived  in  the  distance  a  group  of  In- 
dians, and  hastened  forward  to  meet  them.  As  he  drew 
near  he  noticed  that  they  bore  signs  of  mourning.  He 
soon  caught  up  with  them  and  found  that  they  were  re- 
turning from  a  funeral.  He  questioned  them,  and  was 
surprised  that  they  hesitated  to  answer,  looking  respect- 
fully toward  a  tall  figure  in  the  background  whom  only 
then  did  Adrien  recognize  to  be  Oushola's  father. 

The  old  chief  looked  mournfully  at  Adrien,  and  re- 
plied :  "We  are  here  to  bury  Oushola,"  and  he  then  added 
a  few  brief  details  of  her  illness  and  death.  That  dread 
malady  of  the  Indians,  consumption,  had  long  held  a 
grasp  on  the  young  Indian  maiden,  and  during  the  cold, 
wet  weather,  she  had  been  exposed  to  its  inclemency,  had 
taken  cold,  pneumonia  developed  and  she  had  succumbed. 
Her  last  words  were  a  message  to  her  betrothed  that  "their 
Union  was  not  the  will  of  the  great  Father,  who  was  tak- 
ing her  to  His  own  home,  there  to  celebrate  celestial  nup- 
tials.   He  had  other  designs,  a  nobler  plan  to  fulfil. " 

When  the   chief  had   finished   speaking,   Adrien   re- 


BEACH   AT   MANDEVILLE. 


BAYOU. 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  61 

mained  silent  as  one  dazed.  He  felt  that  lie  was  helpless 
in  the  hands  of  God,  and,  pressing  the  hand  of  Oushola's 
father,  he  went  on  toward  Mandeville  and  New  Orleans. 
When  he  reached  home  he  did  not  wish  to  meet  any  mem- 
ber of  the  family  until  he  could  by  great  efforts  bring 
himself  back  to  a  normal  state  of  existence.  Alone  he 
could  think,  he  could  pray,  and  he  knew  that  God  never 
refuses  His  grace  to  those  who  humbly  implore  its  succor. 
Adrien  now  closed  another  volume  of  his  life,  and 
with  firm  confidence  in  his  Maker,  resolved  to  await  an 
indication  of  His  will  before  he  would  attempt  to  trace 
out  the  opening  lines  of  a  new  career. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

DRIFTING. 

Past  experience  had  produced  a  noticeable  difference 
in  the  Eouquette  household  when  Adrien  once  more  be- 
came an  inmate.  There  was  now  no  attempt  to  force  him 
into  society,  a  marked  reticence  was  perceptible  in  any 
conversation  with  him,  or  even  in  his  presence,  born,  no 
doubt,  of  the  fear  that  some  unguarded  suggestion  might 
cause  him  to  flee  again  from  home  to  the  woodlands.  Still, 
minds  were  busy  and  pre-occupied,  and  to  all,  except 
Adrien,  the  question  seemed  to  present  itself:  "What  of 
the  future?"  Adrien  was  drifting.  He  still  felt  saddened 
by  the  untimely  end  of  Oushola,  that  sweet  flower  of  the 
forest.  He  had  then  made  out  the  plans  of  his  life,  but 
the  All-wise  Guardian  of  men's  destinies  had  not  approved 
and  had  cancelled  them  all.  And  now,  as  a  child  sits 
ruefully  gazing  upon  the  castle  of  cards,  demolished  by 
the  Summer  breeze,  so  Adrien  remained  gloomily  con- 
templating what  "might  have  been."  He  heeded  not  that 
a  future  was  awaiting  him.  His  mother  knew  but  too 
well  what  result  she  desired.  Up  to  the  present  her  son's 
life  had  been  a  vertitable  "cup  of  Tantatlus"  for  her — and 
yet,  even  now,  she  dared  to  dream  once  more,  that  her 
longed-for  hopes  be  realized.  Her  ardent  spirit  chafed  at 
the  restraint  she  imposed  upon  herself,  and  as  the  days 
went  on,  and  Summer  gave  place  to  the  beautiful  Autumn- 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  63 

tide,  she  saw  that  Adrien  was  slowly  losing  his  gloom  and 
regaining  his  old  natural  self.  She  determined  that  the 
silence  must  be  broken  and  one  more  effort  made  to  induce 
him  to  lay  aside  those  useless  reveries  and  day-dreams,  to 
think  of  the  activities  of  a  useful,  honorable  life.  Instead 
of  losing  his  time  she  would  urge  him  to  exercise  that  en- 
ergy of  soul  which  she  had  bequeathed  to  him  more  fully 
than  to  any  of  her  other  children.  It  was  latent  now  and 
would  soon  prove  his  worth  should  she  be  able  to  persuade 
him  to  embrace  some  profession,  some  life-work  which  one 
day  would  register  his  name  among  the  celebrities  of  his 
country. 

Madame  Rouquette  resolved  to  speak  to  her  son  as 
soon  as  she  felt  that  a  suitable  occasion  presented  itself. 
Before  the  decisive  period  arrived  she  made  a  fervent 
novena,  imploring  the  light  and  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  direct  her  words  and  to  prepare  Adrien  not  only  to 
receive  them  well,  but  to  follow  their  counsel.  At  the  close 
of  the  novena,  after  earnest  supplication,  Madame  Rou- 
quette awaited  what  seemed  a  favorable  opportunity. 

She  had  eagerly  watched  the  buoyancy  of  youth  assert 
itself,  more  and  more,  and  was  on  the  "qui  vive"  for  the 
long-sought  propitious  hour.  It  came  at  last.  Towards 
sunset,  after  one  of  our  most  perfect  October  days  rival- 
ing Lowell's  "rare"  day  of  June,  xldrien,  after  a  day  spent 
in  reading,  came  down  to  dinner  in  high  spirits,  more 
ready  than  usual  to  talk  and  make  himself  agreeable. 
After  the  family  left  the  table,  he  remarked:  "What  a 
fine  evening  for  a  walk!"    Here  was  the  opening,  and  with 


64  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

ready  tact  his  mother  replied,  suggesting  that  they  enjoy 
a  stroll  along  the  banks  of  the  Bayou.  She  rose  as  she 
spoke,  and,  throwing  a  light  shawl  over  her  head,  took  her 
son's  arm  and  they  went  out. 

The  intimate  communing,  the  interchange  of  thought 
between  mother  and  son  can  only  be  surmised,  their  guar- 
dian angel  alone  having  recorded  the  earnest  pleading  of 
the  maternal  heart,  and  the  yielding  of  filial  affection  and 
obedience.  They  remained  out  a  long  time,  walking  slowly 
up  and  down,  far  too  intent  upon  the  subject  under  dis- 
cussion to  pay  much  heed  to  the  beauties  of  Nature.  Ever 
and  anon  they  would  pause,  standing  face  to  face,  Madame 
Eouquette,  speaking  earnestly,  would  gaze  beseechingly 
into  the  countenance  of  Adrien,  would  take  his  hand,  or 
place  hers  upon  his  arm,  and  then  the  walk  would  be  re- 
sumed. 

Just  as  the  stars  began  to  twinkle  in  the  firmament 
and  the  lights  to  glow  from  the  windows,  the  mother  and 
son  entered  the  home,  each  retiring  at  once  to  the  privacy 
required,  by  one  for  thanksgiving;  by  the  other  for  quiet 
reflection  in  order  to  gain  equilibrium  of  mind  which  had 
long  been  unstable.  Yet  Adrien  had  not  pledged  himself 
to  anything  definite,  beyond  giving  up  his  present  aimless 
existence  and  embarking  for  Europe  to  let  Parisian  life 
and  friends  once  more  influence  him,  and  no  doubt  help 
him  to  decide  his  ultimate  vocation. 

Several  weeks  must  pass  before  the  period  set  for  his 
departure,  and  Madame  Rouquette,  with  a  woman's  keen 
perception  and  intuition,  felt  that  she  could  still  do  more 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  65 

to  fix  her  son's  will  in  the  selection  of  a  particular  pro- 
fession. A  few  days  after  her  first  memorable  victory 
over  inanition,  she  adroitly  brought  Adrien  to  introduce 
the  projected  trip  to  France.  Naturally  relatives  and 
friends  were  loquacious  on  the  subject,  and  numberless 
questions  were  flung  hither  and  thither  as  to  the  object  of 
the  voyage. 

Adrien  hardly  knew  what  to  answer,  and  finally,  un- 
der the  persuasive  influence  of  his  mother,  who  wisely 
used  the  most  trivial  circumstance  to  make  him  settle 
upon  a  real  tangible  object,  he  was  induced  to  form  the 
definite  plan  of  going  to  Paris  in  order  to  study  law. 

There  had,  perhaps,  been  no  happier  day  in  Madame 
Rouquette's  life  than  when  she  concluded  this  conquest. 
Though  filled  with  jubilation,  she  was  careful  not  to  let 
her  son  suspect  that  the  design  was  other  than  his  own. 

Looking  back  over  a  lapse  of  more  than  fifty  years, 
one  is  almost  surprised  that  a  mother  should  not  have 
known  better  the  character  and  inclinations  of  her  child. 
But  she  was  dazzled  by  the  brilliance  of  her  own  dream  of 
glory,  and  being  of  a  strong  mould,  felt  that  she  could 
bend  all  to  conform  to  her  will.  Then,  too,  she  knew  less 
of  her  son's  character  than  she  fancied.  The  greater  part 
of  his  life  having  been  spent  far  from  home,  accounted 
for  this  ignorance.  Otherwise  she  would  have  felt  in- 
stinctively that  such  a  lover  of  Nature  could  never  become 
a  successful  man  of  law,  "wherein,"  as  Adrien  used  to  say : 
"All  is  but  a  weary  pell-mell  of  contradictions  and  chican- 
eries."   But  this  is  an  anticipation. 


66  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

The  farewells  were  said  again,  and  Adrien,  with  feel- 
ings unlike  any  before  experienced,  found  himself  once 
more  on  deck,  watching  the  last  glimpse  of  the  old  familiar 
scenes  disappear  from  view.  He  was  no  longer  a  boy,  and 
was  soon  conjecturing  on  the  new  life  awaiting  him  in 
Paris,  wondering — not  at  all  certain — whether  his 
mother's  desires  could  ever  be  realized.  He  sounded  his 
own  inclinations  and  found  little  encouragement  in  the 
pursuance  of  the  profession  he  was  going  to  embrace. 
Still  he  had  promised  to  apply  himself  to  the  distasteful 
task,  and  now  there  must  be  no  shrinking.  The  long  voy- 
age helped  to  fix  his  resolve.  When  Paris  was  reached 
Adrien  at  once  set  about  beginning  his  new  course  of  stud- 
ies. He  found  the  dry  technicalities  of  the  pondrous  law 
books  very  untempting  to  a  literary  appetite  heretofore 
nourished  by  the  choicest  selections  of  prose  and  verse, 
brilliant  and  beautiful.  He  did  not  take  to  his  new  task 
very  graciously. 

Fortunately  for  Adrien  the  tribune  and  the  bar  of- 
fered exceptional  attractions,  possessing  several  eminent 
and  distinguished  orators.  The  duty  of  attending  the 
Chamber  of  Deputies  and  the  Palace  of  Justice  was  made 
very  often  an  excuse  for  negligence  in  study.  France  has 
given  to  many  of  her  children  this  great  gift  of  eloquence, 
but  seldom  has  she  assembled  so  many  as  during  this 
period  of  Adrien's  stay  in  Paris,  and  they  fascinated  him 
and  fairly  held  him  spell-bound.  Foremost  in  the  ranks 
of  these  distinguished  orators  was  Pierre  Antoine  Berrger. 
At  the  time  of  the  Restoration  he  gained  great  celebrity  by 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  67 

his  defence  of  Marshal  Ney,  in  union  with  his  father  and 
the  elder  Dupin.  In  1830  his  parliamentary  speech  in  de- 
fence of  the  crown  and  the  Polignac  Ministry  won  the  ap- 
plause of  all,  and  the  remark  of  Roger  Collard,  "Behold, 
in  Berrger  there  is  a  great  power."  His  popularity  was  so 
great,  even  before  this,  that  his  friends  purchased  and 
presented  him  with  the  estate  of  Angerville,  so  that  he 
might  be  elected  to  a  constituency,  and  later,  when  forced 
to  sell  his  property,  as  his  political  career  demanded 
means  he  could  not  otherwise  procure,  both  Legitimists 
and  Republicans  united  to  buy  back  and  re-endow  him 
with  his  sacrificed  estate. 

Berrger  was  a  staunch  Catholic  and  not  the  man  to 
place  his  salvation  in  jeopardy  for  political  interests. 
Having  the  courage  of  his  convictions  he  was  always  the 
upholder  of  religious  liberty.  For  a  time  he  did  not  prac- 
tice his  religion,  but  God  rewarded  this  champion  of  the 
Church  and  put  him  in  touch  with  Father  de  Ravignan, 
S.  J.,  and  the  saintly  Jesuit  had  the  supreme  consolation 
of  bringing  back  the  celebrated  orator  to  the  pious  exer- 
cises of  his  faith.  Berrger  had  no  human  respect,  and 
boasted  that  he  made  his  Easter  duties  twice,  once  in 
Paris  to  show  his  colleagues  of  the  Chamber  that  he  glor- 
ied in  his  faith ;  and  a  second  time  at  home,  to  set  a  good 
example  to  the  simple  dependents  of  Angerville.  Besides 
his  speeches  from  the  Tribune,  Berrger  delivered  a  series 
of  lectures  during  the  Restoration  to  the  elite  of  the  literary 
world  at  the  reunion  of  the  "Societe  des  Bonnes  Etudes," 
where  such  men  as  Montalambert  and  Lacordaire  were  un- 
remitting in  their  attendance. 


68  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

There  was  something  astounding  in  the  power  and 
eloquence,  even  after  apparent  inattention,  with  which 
Berrger  could  crush  an  opponent's  argument.  So  attrac- 
tive and  so  universally  admired  were  his  talents  that  the 
actress,  Rachel,  used  to  sigh :  "If  I  could  only  act  as  Mr. 
Berrger  can  speak!"  This  eulogy  was  as  cordially  admit- 
ted also  by  his  opponents — one  of  whom,  Mr.  Jules  Favre, 
referred  to  him  as  "My  sublime  adversary." 

There  is  no  doubt  that  Berrger  will  ever  be  looked 
upon  as  the  Prince  of  the  French  Tribune.  None  greater 
than  he  could  have  been  found  as  a  model  of  oratory;  but 
Adrien  was  also  privileged  to  meet  the  famous  Charles 
Jacques  Dupont  de  1'  Eure,  whose  popularity  elected  him 
term  after  term,  from  1814  to  1848. 

The  most  interesting  event  connected  with  his  at- 
tendance at  the  Palais  de  Justice  was  the  trial  in  which 
Chaix  d'Este- Anger,  so  famous  in  criminal  cases,  and  the 
most  distinguished  pleader  at  the  French  Bar,  was  en- 
gaged by  the  government  to  sustain  the  suppression  of 
Victor  Hugo's  famous  drama,  "Le  Koi  s'amuse,"  in  which 
Francis  I.  is  vilified  and  his  fool  Triboulet  supports  the 
role  of  a  hero.  The  opponents  were  the  author  himself 
and  the  all-too-famous  Odilon  Barrot. 

To  mention  this  name  recalls  another  type  and  a  va- 
ried and  stormy  career.  Son  of  a  Bevolutionist,  Camille, 
Hyacinth  Odilon  Barrot  in  turn  helped  to  bring  on  the 
Eevolution  of  1830,  and  then  as  strenuously  opposed  the 
formation  of  a  republic  as  he  fought  against  the  restora- 
tion or  the  Bourbons.   He  also  opposed  hereditary  peer- 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  69 

age,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  assume  the  responsibility 
of  the  seige  of  Rome  in  1849.  Adrien  could  never  admire 
M.  Barrot ;  in  fact  he  was  so  little  drawn  to  the  man  that 
he  could  hardly  do  justice  to  his  capabilities. 

These  are  a  few  of  the  famous  orators  whom  Adrien 
studied  in  action.  To  most  of  whom  he  listened  enthu- 
siastically and  from  whom  he  learned  so  much  of  that 
fire  which  later  in  his  life  drew  such  immense  crowds  to 
the  old  St  Louis  Cathedral  to  hear  him  preach. 

So  time  passed  agreeably  when  spent  in  listening  to 
others,  but  it  was  not  so  pleasant  to  return  to  musty  old 
volumes  of  the  law  desk — and  Adrien  gradually  became 
more  and  more  lax  in  his  studies,  and  when  affairs  were 
dull  in  the  tribune  he  found  here  and  there  friends  and 
acquaintances,  those  seekers  after  the  "dolce  far  niente," 
always  to  be  found  by  one  who  needs  but  the  invitation 
to  join  their  ranks — and  after  a  time  Adrien  left  duty  be- 
hind and  relinquished  the  last  vestige  of  right  to  wear  one 
day  the  insignia  of  a  Solon. 

Paris  is  not  exactly  the  home  for  a  young  man  who 
thus  sets  aside  the  serious  preparation  for  his  life-work 
to  seek  idle  amusement,  if  the  liberty  of  the  children  of 
God  is  to  be  retained. 

Seductions  of  all  kinds  beset  his  path,  and  only  too 
much  like  the  poor  moth,  he  circles  ever  nearer  and  nearer 
that  brilliant  flame  and  was  drawn  further  and  deeper 
into  that  vortex  of  pleasure  and  gayety,  at  first  seemingly 
innocent,  but  ever  leading  the  victim  on  to  the  gratification 
of  the  ceaseless  demands  of  the  senses,  until  he  is  a  prey 
to  the  devouring  vulture  of  pleasure. 


70  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

Months  passed  in  this  kind  of  life,  but  Adrien  was 
not  happy.  He  had  never  experienced  a  phase  similar. 
On  the  contrary,  all  his  life,  anything  vicious  had  been 
repulsive  and  filled  him  with  loathing.  So  conscience 
could  not  long  remain  dormant  under  the  effects  of  those 
sweet  draughts  with  which  dissipation  sought  to  reduce 
her  to  silence.  The  Heavenly  Father  was  still  watching 
from  above  over  this  soul  whom  He  had  looked  upon  and 
loved,  and  while  allowing  him  to  become  acquainted  with 
evils  of  society,  was  to  bring  him  forth  a  humble  man, 
more  distrustful  of  self,  and  with  a  knowledge  of  the 
frailty  of  poor  human  nature  essential  to  the  physician 
of  souls,  if  he  would  support  the  bruised  reed  and  not 
break  it,  if  he  would  fan  the  dying  flame  and  not  extin- 
guish the  smoking  flax. 

Besides  the  voice  of  conscience,  God  was  preparing 
another  and  most  efficacious  means  to  rouse  Adrien  and 
enable  him  to  shake  off  the  trammels  of  the  present  un- 
happy life. 

The  gayeties  of  the  carnival  season  were  still  in  pro- 
gress when  Mgr.  de  Quelin  issued  the  announcement  that 
the  pulpit  of  Notre  Dame,  left  vacant  by  the  departure  of 
Father  Lacordaire,  would  be  filled  by  Father  de  Ravig- 
nan,  S.  J.  The  eloquent  Dominican  had  effected  a  great 
revolution  in  Sacred  oratory.  Hitherto  the  style  of  Bos- 
suet,  of  Bourdalone  and  of  Masillon  had  served  every  one 
and  everywhere.  Lacordaire  realized  that  the  age,  the 
tendencies  and  the  audience,  now  cosmopolitan,  required 
something  different.  Hence  he  laid  aside  the  old  usage 
and  introduced  a  reform  of  style  and  method. 


POET-MISSIONAET    OF     LOUISIANA.  71 

To  say  that  he  achieved  success  does  not  express  the 
result  of  his  splendid  series  of  conferences.  Paris  was 
fairly  electrified  by  this  new  "Chrysostom,"  and  each  suc- 
ceeding year  added  to  his  prestige.  In  1836,  the  now  fa- 
mous orator  went  to  Rome,  and  the  vacant  throne  of  elo- 
quence was  given  to  the  already  eminent  Jesuit. 

To  note  that  the  Conferences  of  Notre  Dame  main- 
tained their  former  popularity  and  won  the  same  appre- 
ciation is  to  learn  that  between  the  two  distinguished 
preachers  there  was  no  question  of  superiority.  Mon- 
talembert,  himself  an  eloquent  speaker,  writes  thus :  "Fa- 
ther Lacordaire  holds  his  audience  spellbound,  yet  thrill- 
ing with  enthusiastic  appreciation  as  the  lightning-like 
flashes  of  faith,  humility  and  love  send  their  bolts  into  the 
very  depths  of  the  most  hardened  and  rebellious  hearts. 

Father  de  Ravignan  moves  and  persuades  as  much  by 
the  charm  as  by  the  authority  and  masterly  power  of  his 
eloquence.  He  restores  light  to  the  darkened  intelligence 
and  purifies  the  soul  from  all  stain,  while  his  majestic 
style  exercises  an  empire  bound  to  draw  all  who  can  ap- 
proach him,  to  listen  enraptured  to  his  incomparable  ex- 
position of  God's  truth  so  logically  and  powerfully  man- 
ifested, that  it  is  impossible  to  resist  his  influence." 

Father  de  Ravignan  was  not  unknown  in  Paris;  a 
series  of  Lenten  sermons  given  at  Aimens  in  1831  had 
established  his  fame,  and  a  fine  discourse  given  in  Paris 
in  1836  had  attracted  the  attention  of  all,  so  when  the 
Conferences  of  1837  began,  there  was  not  even  standing 
room  for  the  immense  crowds  who  thronged  the  entrance 
to  Notre  Dame. 


72  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

Adrien  was  naturally  much  interested  in  oratory  and 
was  foremost  among  the  fortunate  ones  who  secured  fa- 
vorable places  for  the  first  sermon. 

That  first  discourse  was  but  the  prelude,  and  none 
was  more  assiduous  in  his  attendance  than  the  young 
American,  and  may  our  partiality  be  pardoned  if  we  say, 
few  minds  were  more  capable  of  appreciating  the  lofty, 
the  sublime,  the  convincing  truths  so  ably  presented.  A 
new  life  had  dawned  for  Adrien,  he  turned  his  back  upon 
the  pleasures  which  had  recently  absorbed  his  better  self, 
and  finding  him  no  longer  so  inclined,  his  comrades  left 
him  in  peace.  His  love  of  history,  of  science,  and  of  art, 
was  suddenly  but  metamorphosed,  and  he  now  looked  at 
all  things  from  a  new  standpoint. 

Father  de  Kavignan's  first  Conference,  "L'  Etat  des 
E sprits"  had  opened  new  vistas — and  he  now  saw  the 
world  through  the  eyes  of  real  Catholicity.  Adrien's  mind 
loved  to  be  absorbed  in  some  pursuit  it  deemed  important, 
so  now  all  his  thoughts  were  coursing  in  a  new  channel, 
and  the  vapid  and  noisome  amusements  of  his  idle  hours 
were  transformed  into  a  thirst  for  an  intimate  knowledge 
of  the  Church,  of  her  history,  her  teachings,  her  influence, 
her  inner  life. 

This  thirst  he  sought  to  quench  by  employing  the  time 
between  the  Conferences  in  the  libraries,  studying  the  va- 
rious subjects  treated  by  the  learned  orator.  Paganism, 
the  Mosaic  system,  the  schools  of  philosophy,  and  so  on 
through  the  whole  series  of  1837. 

The  Lenten  season  sped  away,  and  yet  his  task  was  but 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  73 

begun,  so  month  succeeded  month,  and  Adrien  was  still 
deeply  interested,  and  unremittingly  occupied.  He  was 
laying  up  a  store  of  rich  treasures  for  his  after-life,  and 
becoming  daily  better  fitted  for  the  next  step  in  his  career, 
that  of  an  author. 

Meanwhile  he  had  written  to  his  mother  of  the  aban- 
donment of  a  legal  profession  and  yet  had  said  nothing  of 
his  new  work.  It  is  easy  to  imagine  how  anxious  his  fam- 
ily were,  when  they  thought  of  his  being  adrift  in  Paris. 
Letter  succeeded  letter  urging  him  to  come  home,  so  finally 
he  decided  that  he  would,  thinking  that  he  could  do  as  well 
there  as  abroad,  pursue  the  course  of  study  he  had  under- 
taken. The  only  delay  he  proposed  was  sufficient  time  to 
collect  all  the  books  necessary  to  aid  him  in  his  work. 
This  did  not  consume  much  time,  so  he  was  soon  en  route 
for  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

LITERARY    BLOSSOMS. 

During  a  brief  period,  after  reaching  home,  Adrien 
Rouquette  applied  so  seriously  to  the  studies  he  had  be- 
gun, that  one  could  have  fancied  him  to  be  some  antique 
recluse  of  the  Middle  Ages,  turning  night  into  day  in  un- 
tiring search  for  the  philosopher's  stone,  or  that  magic 
secret  of  alchemy,  by  which  the  purest  gold  might  be  pro- 
duced. 

But  the  incentive  to  perseverance  was  lacking,  and 
after  a  while,  when  the  old  longing  would  come  over  him, 
when  a  whiff  of  pine-scented  air  from  Bayou  Lacombe 
invited  him  to  taste  once  more  that  "Pleasure  of  the 
pathless  woods,  that  society  where  none  intrudes,"  he 
could  not  resist.  Packing  a  few  books  into  a  portmanteau, 
he  would  simply  disappear  without  any  warning  to  his 
family  or  friends.  His  habits  became  so  quixotic  that  all 
endeavors  to  make  him  "like  unto  other  folks"  were  re- 
linquished as  useless. 

And  so  time  went  on  till  1842,  when  he  surprised  every 
one  by  announcing  his  intention  of  going  to  Europe  again. 
Friends  shrugged  their  shoulders;  few  questions  were 
asked,  and  to  those  few  no  satisfactory  answer  given.  The 
genius  that  had  lain  dormant  so  long  was  awakened  and 
demanded  a  sphere  of  exercise.  Adrien  had  seen  enough 
of  the  world  to  mature  his  mind,  he  had  made  good  classi- 


POET-MISSIONAEY     OF     LOUISIANA.  75 

cal  studies,  had  devoted  much  time  to  Belles-lettres,  and 
in  fine  was  really  fitted  for  the  project  in  contemplation. 
He  had  conceived  the  desire  to  test  his  powers  by  an  at- 
tempt at  literary  work,  thinking  his  destiny  might  be  in 
an  author's  career.  With  the  aspiration  came  the  sug- 
gestion to  go  back  to  the  genial  sunshine  of  the  French 
capital,  that  atmosphere  so  fostering  to  budding  genius. 
His  thought  was  speedily  executed,  and  soon  he  was  set- 
tled in  Paris,  hard  at  work. 

The  first  production  of  his  new  endeavor  had  its  birth- 
place in  the  forest  home  he  had  always  loved.  Chapter 
by  chapter  it  had  evolved  from  his  mind  as  he  roved 
through  the  woods  and  over  the  plains.  He  had  thought 
it  all  over,  again  and  again,  and  now  this  early  love 
ripened  into  the  first  fruit  of  his  pen,  "Les  Savannes." 

Who  better  than  Adrien  Rouquette  could  describe 
our  Louisiana  forests,  with  their  ancient  bearded  oaks, 
with  their  majestic  pines  and  feathery  cypress,  with  their 
multi-colored  and  many  voiced  singers,  with  their  stately 
deer  and  other  denizens  of  the  woods?  Every  aspect  of  it 
all  he  knew  so  well.  "Les  Savannes"  was  but  the  over- 
flow and  outpouriug  of  his  heart's  affection. 

As  soon  as  the  work  was  finished  he  sent  the  manu- 
script to  a  publisher  with  urgent  orders  to  hasten  the  com- 
pletion. The  very  first  copies  gotten  out  were  sent  imme- 
diately to  the  best  authorities  for  criticism,  having  re- 
solved either  to  pursue  or  abandon  his  proposrd  profes- 
sion according  to  the  reception  met  by  his  maiden  effort. 

He  had  not  long  to  wait,  for  ouly  a  few  days  had 


76  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

elapsed,  when  a  veritable  shower  of  congratulations 
poured  in  upon  him. 

And  when  we  learn  that  such  names  as  Saint  Beuve, 
Laniartine,  Chateaubriand,  Emil  Deschanips  and  Bar- 
thelemy  were  among  the  first  to  applaud  the  young  author, 
it  must  needs  be  granted  that  he  merited  the  praise. 

They  not  only  lauded  his  work,  but  encouraged  him 
to  give  the  world  more  of  the  same  kind. 

"Daus  votre  style,"  wrote  one.  "II  y  a  bean  coup  de 
ressemblance  avec  nos  p?«s  grands  ecrivains."  "Vows 
avez  le  genre  de  nos  grande  maitres  de  la  litter *ature," 
wrote  another.  Brizean,  that  sweet-voiced  singer  of  Brit- 
tany, whose  poems  will  ever  be  loved  by  every  true  child 
of  France,  and  by  all  who  are  worshippers  at  the  shrine 
of  Nature,  wrote  most  enthusiastically  to  Adrien,  calling 
him  the  "second  Ossian,"  "Ossian  le  Jeune" 

There  was  one  among  all  these  letters  of  felicitation 
which  exercised  quite  an  influence  over  the  young  author. 

Thomas  Moore  read  "Les  Savannes,"  and  was  at  once 
curious  to  know  something  of  this  young  American 
writer.  Inquiries  from  friends  in  Paris  aroused  even 
greater  interest. 

Moore  entertained  no  love  for  America  or  Americans, 
but  was  honest  in  expressing  his  appreciation  of  Adrien's 
ability.  Perhaps  it  was  the  similarity,  or  rather  a  coinci- 
dence in  their  opening  manhood  that  evoked  a  certain 
fellow-feeling,  for  Moore  also  had  studied  for  the  bar  and 
then  abandoned  that  career  for  literature.  Just  about 
this  time  the  old  poet  had  completed  a  new  collection  of 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  77 

his  own  works,  adding  prefaces  to  many,  and  thus  the 
reminiscences  of  his  early  life  and  entrance  into  the  world 
of  letters,  excited  sympathy  for  this  budding  genius  of 
our  Southwest,  a  sentiment  which  perhaps  would  not  have 
been  called  forth  under  other  than  his  present  circum- 
stances. His  own  fireside  had  been  saddened  by  the  suc- 
cessive deaths  of  most  of  the  members  of  his  family,  and 
he  realized  that  his  own  lonely  life  was  nearing  its  close. 
He  felt  attracted  to  a  young  writer  who  seemed  ready  to 
step  into  the  place  he  would  probably  soon  leave  vacant. 

Moore  followed  the  dictates  of  his  generous  heart, 
and  sent  a  warm  letter  of  encouragement  and  appreciation 
of  Mr.  Rouquette's  first  work,  which  he  declared, 
"breathed  forth  the  perfume  of  the  forest  flowers."  So 
one  more  precious  commendation  was  added  to  the  now 
weighty  number.  Moore  did  not  hesitate  to  give  Adrien 
the  title  of  "Laniartine  of  America,"  and  he  urged  the 
promising  young  author  not  to  leave  his  pen  idle. 

Mr.  Rouquette  was  touched  by  the  old  poet's  interest, 
and  was  inspired  to  render  a  tribute  of  gratitude  by  writ- 
ing in  English  those  beautiful  lyrics,  "Wild  Flowers," 
which  were  received  enthusiastically  everywhere,  at  home 
and  abroad. 

Such  success  spurred  on  the  author  to  give  as  soon  as 
possible  to  the  press  another  work:  "La  Thebaide  en 
Amerique."  This  is  a  wonderful  composition,  overflowing 
with  the  most  sublime  thoughts  which  tell  us  that  the 
writer  had  the  soul  of  a  mystic.  The  language  is  at  once 
eloquent  and  picturesque.      The    sequel,    'L'Antoniade," 


78  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

sustained  the  lofty  style  of  the  "Thebaide,"  and  was  ac- 
knowledged by  the  critics  as  a  poem  which  could  chal- 
lenge the  pen  of  Laprade. 

By  these  works  Adrien  had  conquered  a  permanent 
glory,  and  though  above  petty  vanity,  felt  a  reasonable 
glow  of  pride  that  he  had  not  only  found  a  profession  in 
harmony  with  his  tastes,  but  that  he  had  achieved  success. 
Once  launched  into  the  literary  career,  he  never  really 
gave  it  up,  and  later  on  his  life-work  was  too  engrossing 
to  allow  him  to  devote  all  his  energies  to  literature,  still 
he  never  ceased  to  publish  sketches,  prose  and  verse,  on  a 
variety  of  subjects. 

It  would  certainly  be  desirable  to  mention  Mr.  Kou- 
quette's  works  in  chronological  order,  with  the  setting  or 
background  of  the  circumstances  connected  with  their 
production,  but  in  this  brief  sketch  of  the  author's  life 
they  must  be  grouped  together,  regardless  of  their  period 
of  presentation  to  the  public  and  with  the  sacrifice  of 
extended  description  and  analysis. 

With  Adrien's  literary  position  so  firmly  established 
in  Europe,  it  is  needless  to  say  that  laurels  awaited  him  at 
home.  The  clouds  had  drifted  away  and  his  family  longed 
to  have  him  return  that  they  might  enjoy  the  sunshine  of 
his  popularity  and  renown.  Again  and  again  he  was  pe- 
titioned to  return  to  America,  and  finally  in  1843  he  re- 
turned to  Louisiana. 

We  will  leave  him  to  the  enjoyment  of  a  cordial  wel- 
come, while  we  glance  toward  a  sphere  of  labor  which  be 
was  to  render  beneficent  for  many  years. 


POET-MISSIOXAEY     OF     LOUISIANA.  79 

Abbe  Perche,  chaplain  of  the  Ursuline  Convent,  and 
later  Archbishop  of  New  Orleans,  had  always  held  the 
Press  to  be  so  important  a  factor  in  procuring  for  his 
fellow-citizens  instruction,  and  explaining  away  the  er- 
rors of  the  people,  that  he  used  his  greatest  endeavors  to 
aid  good  Catholic  journalism.  For  years  he  worked  to 
raise  to  its  highest  excellence  the  paper  known  as  the 
"Propagateur  Catholique."  He  was  indefatigable  in  his 
efforts  to  secure  good  writers  and  to  contribute  articles 
himself,  for  he  was  an  able  and  learned  author ;  in  fine,  to 
leave  no  stone  unturned  to  develop  and  improve  the  pa- 
per. For  a  long  time  it  was  the  sole  Catholic  organ  in 
the  diocese,  and  the  good  Abbe  wishes  to  make  it  so  good 
that  all  would  wish  to  subscribe.  It  was  published  weekly 
in  French  and  in  English.  We  can  understand  how  Abbe 
Perche  must  have  dreamed  of  the  good  fortune  coming  to 
him  when  he  heard  that  Mr.  Eouquette,  whose  brilliant, 
scholarly  writings  in  both  languages,  made  him  so  fit  for 
colaboration  in  the  Propagateur,  was  coming  home  to  New 
Orleans. 

Not  much  solicitation  was  required  to  gain  his  serv- 
ices, and  the  Abbe's  dreams  were  realized.  The  paper 
rose  at  once  into  greater  esteem  and  was  deemed  a  great 
acquisition  in  every  Catholic  home.  So  now  we  will  glean 
from  among  the  old  files  of  the  "Propagateur''  two  speci- 
mens at  least,  which  illustrate  Mr.  Rouquette's  ability  and 
versatility. 

In  1880,  Mr.  Parnell  made  a  tour  of  the  United  States, 
soliciting  contributions  in  favor  of  Ireland's  poor.     He 


80  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

made  many  addresses,  aroused  great  interest  in  the  "Home 
Rule"  question,  and  excited  the  sympathies  of  all  Irish- 
Americans.  All  over  the  country  Irish  leagues  were 
formed,  Hibernia  societies  organized,  and  that  year  St. 
Patrick's  day  was  celebrated  with  greater  pomp  than  ever. 
Processions  wearing  "the  green"  marched  throughout  the 
cities  of  the  land.  Loyal  Catholics  could  not  forget  that 
Parnell  had  called  them  "cowardly  Papist  rats,"  yet  they 
gladly  gave  him  aid  for  their  suffering  brothers.  Mr. 
Rouquette  readily  responded  to  the  exciting  theme,  espoused 
the  cause  of  the  Isle  of  Saints,  and  wrote  the  poem : 

TO   IRELAND. 

"Sweet  virgin  land !    Untouched  by  foreign  taints, 
Bright  Emerald  resting  on  the  azure  brine, 
Be  fadeless  glory  thine! 
Oh  Erin  green!   Hibernia,  dearest  home 
And  fairest,  save  the  heavenly  one  above. 
How  shines  thy  faith!   How  burns  thy  love  divine! 
And  what  unbounded  praise  should  not  be  thine 
Oh!  famed  Hibernia!   Erin,  Shamrock  Isle! 
That  naught  could  ere  from  thee,  thy  faith  beguile. 
Through  countless  trials  even  unto  death, 
Thy  persecuted  sons,  pilgrims  of  faith, 
Knight  errants  of  Apostleship  are  seen 
Untired  to  hold  aloft  thy  banner  green 
Waving  anear  the  cross,  in  every  clime, 
I  hail  thee,  chosen  race,  sadly  sublime!" 


POET-MISSIONAKY     OF     LOUISIANA.  81 

Our  next  selection  is  in  prose,  and  a  very  good  illus- 
tration of  Mr.  Rouquette's  vivid  word-pictures.  It  was 
published  in  June,  1883. 

This  is  a  contrast  between  two  bridal  ceremonies,  one 
in  the  city,  attended  with  pomp  and  fashion ;  the  other  in 
a  humble  Indian  village.  Both  are  from  real  life.  This 
article  was  written  in  French : 

"Last  Thursday  a  grand  wedding  took  place  in  the  old 
St.  Louis  Cathedral.  The  Mayor,  the  City  Council,  the 
eminent  gentlemen  of  the  bar,  the  most  distinguished  of 
our  citizens,  the  very  flower  of  our  population,  both  Creole 
and  American,  were  there  united  in  a  greater  multitude 
than  ever  before  gathered  in  the  vast  edifice,  to  witness 
the  ceremony. 

"Pompous  decorations,  with  unprecedented  splendor, 
transformed  the  majestic  Cathedral  into  a  fairy  palace, 
and  when  the  grand  organ  pealed  forth  its  floods  of  magic 
harmony  the  very  walls  seemed  to  pulsate  with  emotion, 
while  the  immense  assembly,  in  intense  sympathy,  seemed 
to  have  but  one  soul,  which  throbbed  in  unison  with  the 
melody.  There,  illumined  by  the  glow  of  a  thousand  waxen 
tapers,  breathing  music  in  the  incense-laden  air,  Spain  and 
France,  Philadelphia  and  New  Orleans,  rejoiced  together 
at  a  spectacle  as  touching  as  it  was  imposing.  The  toga 
and  the  sword,  the  ermine  and  the  helmet,  mingled  with  a 
legitimate  pride  their  nobility  and  their  glory.  An  officer 
of  France,  nephew  of  Mgr.  Dupanloup,  M.  Henri  Farjas, 
and  M'lle.  Alzire  Bermudez,  the  accomplished  daughter 
of  the  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Louisiana,  received 


82  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

the  Nuptial  Benediction  from  our  venerated  Archbishop, 
who  called  down  upon  the  young  couple  all  the  blessings 
of  Heaven. 

"May  this  fair  flower  of  Louisiana  bloom  into  fuller 
beauty  beneath  the  sunny  sky  of  France,  whither  the 
valiant  chevalier  is  to  shelter  her  with  loving  care. 

"May  she  be  happy  herself,  and  make  others  happy 
in  the  land  of  exile  which  will  often  remind  her  of  her 
native  land,  in  which  the  language  of  Corneille,  of  Lamar- 
tine  and  of  Chateaubriand  is  still  spoken  by  the  descend- 
ants of  the  French  emigrees. 

"In  the  midst  of  this  beautiful  assembly  a  poet  mur- 
mured to  himself : 

"Si  j'avais  de  Chateaubriand 
La  plume  ardent  et  poetique 
Avec  im  accent  sympathique 
Et  dans  un  rhythme  eblouissant. 
Emu,  ravi,  comme  poete, 
Semant  a  pleines  mains  des  fleurs, 
Ah!  je  dirais  tous  les  bonheurs 
Et  tout  Teclat  de  cette  fete ; 
Mais  fascine  par  taut  d'attraits, 
Je  sens — j'admire,  et  je  me  tais." 

"The  splendid  ceremony  described  above  recalls  a  scene 
I  witnessed  a  few  days  previous  near  the  few  scattered 
cottages  which  have  the  name  of  Bayou  Lacombe  village. 
A  marriage  was  to  take  place  among  the  Indians.     The 


POET-MISSIONAEY     OF     LOUISIANA.  83 

natives  of  the  two  villages  of  Madisonville  and  Buchawa 
were  camped  in  a  forest  of  oaks  and  pines  on  either  side 
of  the  Ravine  Doree,  so  called  because  the  limpid  waters 
of  the  bayou  flowed  over  a  bed  of  yellow  sands  as  golden- 
hued  as  those  of  the  ancient  Pactolus. 

"The  young  maiden  who  was  affianced  belonged  to 
Madisonville,  her  betrothed  to  Buchawa.  All  the  inhabi- 
tants were  witnesses  and  were  to  take  an  active  part  in 
the  ceremony. 

"Those  of  the  maiden's  village  were  to  defend  and 
protect  her  when  the  opposite  party  came  to  carry  her  off. 
The  maidens  of  the  other  village  were  to  accompany  the 
young  brave  and  aid  him  to  obtain  possession  of  his  bride. 

"At  a  given  signal  the  maiden  left  her  cabin,  her  eyes 
modestly  cast  down,  trembling  and  pale.  At  the  same 
instant  the  betrothed  left  his  cabin  and  advanced  slowly 
toward  the  maiden.  When  within  a  few  steps  from  her  he 
made  a  movement  as  though  to  seize  her,  but  more  quickly 
than  the  deer  she  fled  toward  the  forest,  accompanied  by 
all  of  her  friends  and  pursued  by  her  betrothed  and  his 
comrades.  When  at  last  overtaken  and  seized  by  her 
future  husband  both  the  men  and  the  women  of  the  village 
used  every  means  to  release  her,  and  as  soon  as  she  was 
freed  the  same  chase  recommenced  without  delay  for  rest. 
The  two  crowds  wound  in  and  out  among  the  trees,  and 
at  times  in  the  struggle  the  maiden  was  almost  suffocated. 
Then  some  strong  arm  separated  the  living  wall  and  she 
darted  forth  again.  This  continued  until  she  fell  ex- 
hausted with  fatigue  and  emotion — her  hair  dishevelled, 


84  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

her  garments  soiled  and  torn,  herself  the  picture  of  a 
victim  going  to  immolation — fear  and  terror  depicted  in 
her  countenance. 

"But  whence  this  fear,  this  pallor.  Is  it  only  a  part 
she  has  to  play?  No.  Every  ceremony  of  these  primitive 
people  hides  a  profound  and  instructive  significance.  This 
child  of  the  forest  really  fears  to  change  her  condition 
from  maiden  liberty  to  wedded  thralldom.  Perhaps  she 
had  seen  the  regret  and  sadness  of  her  own  mother. 
Perhaps,  during  the  long  dark  hours  of  the  night,  she  had 
heard  this  mother  weeping. 

"She  knew  what  her  past  had  been,  but  was  ignorant 
of  what  the  future  held  in  store.  Hence  her  soul  was 
troubled,  her  heart  agitated,  her  senses  disturbed.  No, 
the  fear  was  not  feigned;  and  often,  on  such  occasions, 
have  we  seen  the  tears  flow  from  the  anxious  dark  eyes  of 
the  trembling  maiden. 

"After  a  while  the  elders  told  her  to  calm  herself,  and^ 
when  she  had  regained  self-possession  she  rose  and,  going 
to  a  blanket  spread  near  by,  there  seated  herself,  while  the 
two  oldest  Indians,  one  of  each  side,  came  forward  and 
held  over  her  head  a  stick  upon  which  each  Indian  in  turn 
placed  a  gift.  These  wedding  presents  consist  chiefly  of 
calico,  ribbons,  bead  necklaces  and  other  ornaments. 

"This  ceremony  concluded,  the  maiden  and  brave 
were  each  conducted  to  their  cabins,  to  be  decked  with  all 
the  richest  garments  they  possessed.  When  attired  they 
received  the  felicitations  of  their  friends  and  their  good 
wishes.    The  women  say  to  the  bride :    'May  corn  and  meat 

\ 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  85 

always  be  abundant  in  your  cabin.'  'May  you  neyer  want 
for  sugar  or  coffee.'  'May  the  owl  neyer  sing  upon  the 
roof  that  shelters  you,'  and  so  on.  Then  follow  compli- 
ments. 'You  are  beautiful,'  says  one ;  'You  are  good/  says 
another,  or  'You  are  wise,'  and  the  bride  listens  with  a 
graceful,  though  sad,  smile  which  some  poet  has  likened 
to  'the  twilight  of  autumn.' 

"Meanwhile  the  young  brave  has  also  received  the 
felicitations  of  the  men,  old  and  young.  'May  you  be  happy 
with  your  wife,'  says  the  first ;  'May  you  be  good  to  her,' 
adds  a  second,  and  a  third  says,  'May  the  chase  keep  your 
cabin  supplied  with  the  flesh  of  the  bear  and  the  deer.'  A 
fourth  hopes  that  'the  voices  of  many  children  may  render 
his  life  full  of  consolation.' 

' '  He,  too,  must  be  told  that  he  is  brave,  agile,  generous 
and  strong.  He  listens  with  a  cold  gravity  illumined  by 
a  smile  that  reminds  one  of  the  reflection  from  a  glacier. 

"When  these  ceremonies  ended  the  banqueting  began, 
to  continue  for  three  days  and  nights,  making  the  forest 
resound  with  their  revelry. 

"Three  weeks  ago  the  young  brave,  Louis  Shimpa,  son 
of  Ansht-abe  and  Pishtia,  accompanied  by  his  bride, 
Madeline  Abet-Ima,  daughter  of  Malint-Abe  and  Ayima, 
came  to  ask  for  Baptism  and  the  blessing  of  their  con- 
tracted marriage  according  to  the  customs  of  their  tribe. 
About  thirty  Choctaws  came  with  them,  and  the  day  was 
a  grand  feast  for  all.  Even  nature  seemed  to  rejoice.  The 
birds  sang,  the  opening  flowers  wafted  their  perfume  on 
the  breeze,  and  one  heard  throughout  the  forest  a  sweet 


86  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

concert  of  harmonies  repeated  by  the  distant  echoes  of  the 

mysterious  depths  of  that  grand  sanctuary  of  solitude." 
****** 

Let  us  now  turn  to  a  work  which  must  have  been  a 
source  of  keenest  delight  to  Mr.  Eouquette — the  English 
poem  which  appeared  in  the  same  journal  as  the  above 
selections,  but  which,  on  account  of  its  superior  dramatic 
and  lyric  qualities,  deserves  to  be  printed  separately  and 
sent  abroad  over  the  world  wherever  the  English  language 
is  understood. 

Catherine  Tegahwitha,  the  saintly  Indian  maiden  of 
Caughnawaga,  ever  commanded  the  sincerest  devotion  and 
veneration  of  Adrien  Eouquette.  Her  life  was  a  subject 
which  lay  very  close  to  his  heart,  and  even  in  the  last  hours 
of  his  life  the  mere  mention  of  this  "Lily  of  the  Mohawks" 
would  bring  a  smile  and  unwonted  animation  into  his  wan 
features. 

The  following  quotation  from  the  poem,  "Catherine 
Tegahgouita,"  is  a  lyric  in  praise  of  our  Southern  songbird, 
the  rival  of  the  nightingale.  Whenever  Adrien  Eouquette 
heard  a  mocking-bird  he  seemed  spellbound,  silent,  motion- 
less, drinking  in  every  note  of  the  melody.  The  poem  tells 
us  this: 

Wondrous  songster,  many-voiced, 

Whose  music  has  so  oft  rejoiced 

And  charmed  the  gardens  decked  with  blooms, 

That  shed  profuse  such  sweet  perfumes. 
Gardens  less  brilliant  than  thy  notes 

That  seem  to  gush  from  thousand  throats, 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  87 

To  bloom  and  shine  in  colored  tones 

Like  flowers,  like  pearls,  like  precious  stones, 

To  flash  in  quick,  vibrating  rays, 

To  sparkle,  dazzle,  glow  and  blaze 

With  all  the  richest,  warmest  hues 

That  love  inspires  and  light  imbrues. 

Light  is  color  and  light  is  sound, 

And  sound  and  colors  correspond. 

And  figures,  forms,  express  in  lines 

Of  notes  and  hues  the  vague  confines. 

Sounds,  colors,  figures,  forms,  diverse, 

Yet  one  as  in  the  universe, 

Keflected  and  reflecting  all, 

Till  all  are  lost  in  One  Original. 

For  all  are  but  created  signs 

Of  God's  ideal,  first  designs, 

And  all  ascending  must  return 

To  the  great  Type  whence  all  are  born. 

The  varied  to  Simplicity, 

All  numbers  to  the  Unity! 

Thy  varied  strains,  O  minstrel  bird ! 

Oft,  gazing,  wond'ring  crowds  have  heard, 

Heard  in  their  wild  variety 

And  yet  their  sternest  unity. 

Thou  canst  all  others  imitate, 

All  others  matching  emulate, 

And  yet  thou  art  thyself  unmatched. 

Thy  magic  none  has  ever  snatched, 

And  none  the  bays  shall  win  from  thee, 


88  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

Thou  art  a  living-  melody 

The  soul  of  music  breathing  forth 

Is  echoed  through  thy  voice  on  earth. 

— There  is  a  world  still  undefined, 

Such  heights,  and  depths,  of  soul  and  mind 

Thoughts  innermost,  so  delicate, 

So  simple,  yet  so  intricate, 

That  they  can  find  expression  meet, 

But,  in  faint  colors  or  notes  fleet 

This  world — thou  couldst,  O  Artist,  weird, 

O  ghostly  singer,  spirit  bird ! 

Thou  couldst  embody  and  impress 

With  twilight  tinge  of  dreaminess, 

With  softest  tints  and  highest  shades, 

That  fancy  blends  and  love  pervades, 

And  yet  thy  notes  are  warm  and  bright, 

Thy  notes  are  dipped  in  vivid  light. 

Thou  art  impulsive, — almost  rash, 

And  fierce  in  thy  unbounded  dash, 

Sweeping  betwixt  the  two  extremes 

From  the  bald  eagle's  savage  screams, 

To  the  sweet  throstle's  warblings  faint, 

Or  the  dove's  tender,  cooing  plaint. 

— O  Virtuoso !  whose  wild  sway, 

Whose  compass  vast  and  boundless  range, 

Whose  stretch  of  voice  surpassing  strange 

Some  seem  to  doubt.    Thou  hast  no  peer 

No  match  in  either  hemisphere. 

Unrivalled  in  thy  lyric  strain, 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  89 

All  own  thy  undisputed  reign, 
All  greet  with  an  applauding  roar 
In  which  is  drowned  thy  tuneful  lore. 
O,  poet  of  the  South !    All  hail ! 
As  victor  of  the  nightingale." 

Mr.  Rouquette  called  this  wondrous  singer  of  the 
Southern  forest  "The  Shakespeare  of  Music,  the  Beethoven 
of  the  Forest,  the  Mezzofanti  of  Melody."  The  Indians 
called  the  mocker  "The  singer  of  three  hundred  languages, 
'Kone  Konetlatollis." 

Something  would  be  wanting  to  the  picture  of  the 
poet's  love  of  the  mocking-bird  were  the  quaint  little  poem 
in  the  old  negro  French  of  his  childhood  to  be  omitted. 

His  application  to  the  purest  French  never  obliterated 
from  his  memory  either  the  negro  dialect  or  the  inany- 
voweled  language  of  the  Chahta  Indians. 

"mdkeur  shanteur." 

Kashe  dan  la  barb  Espagnol 

Ki  sa  ki  ape  shante  la? 
Mo  konnen  se  pa  rossignol 

Koute  so  la  voi!    Ki  si  la? 

Ah !  Sila  ki  ape  shante 

Si  la  ki  gagnin  in  la  voi 
Ki  tou  mouni  s're  kapab  coute 

Jourka  ye  mouri  fin  dan  boi. 


90  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

Sila,  se  zozo,  ki  sorcie 
Koute,  koute  so  la  nmsik 

Koute*  li — koute  li — La  pe 

Dinous:    "Kiliklik!    Kiliklik!" 

Koute!  Koute!  dou  sorcie  la 
Koute  begin  sa  la  pe  di  nou. 

La  pe  di  nou :    "Wawa!  Wawa! 
La  pe  di  nou:  "Hibou!  Hibou!" 

Koute  pandan  la  nuit  trankil 
Koute  sou  sa  la  pe — di  nou 

Koute,  la  pe  di:  "Wbip-pour-wil!" 
La  pe  pele:  "Kolin-forou!" 

Koute  li !  Sliange  so  la  voi 
L'a  pe  shante  Kom  tou  zozo, 

Kom  tou  sa  ki  cbante  dans  boi, 
Koui  narb,  Kom  devan,  Kom  dolo. 

Li  si  gran  mete,  li  si  sorcie 
Tou  sila  ye  ki  tande  li 

Ye  reste  la,  ye  tou  'blie 
Ye  s're  koute  jouka  mouri. 

Ga,  li  dans  siel  a  pe  valse 
."  .  So  la  voi  ape  rane  li  sou, 

Li  pli  konen  sa  la  pe  fe! 
Li  pli  konen  aryin — li  fou! 


POET-MISSIONAKY     OF     LOUISIANA.  91 

Ah !  Mokeur !    Ah !  Mokeur  shanteur ! 
Ah !  Ah !  To  gagnin  giab  dan  kor. 
To  gagnin  tro  l'esprit,  mokeur, 
Mai  chante!  Ma  koute  enkor. 

The  above  might  be  rendered  somewhat  as  follows : 

THE  MOCKING  SINGER. 

Hidden  away  in  the  Spanish  beard 

(That  hangs  from  the  limbs  of  the  forest-trees), 
Who  is  the  singer  there? 

I  know  it  is  not  the  nightingale. 
Listen  to  his  song!  Who  is  there? 

Ah!     He  who  is  singing  thus, 

To  one  possessing  such  a  wondrous  voice 
That  all  the  world  would  gladly  listen 

Until  death  from  hunger  would  overtake  them  in  the 
woods. 

That  is  a  bird  which  may  be  called  a  sorcerer 

Listen !  Listen  to  his  music ! 
Listen  to  him!     Listen  to  him! 

He  says  to  us:    "Kiliklik!    Kiliklik!" 

Listen !  listen  to  that  sweet  sorcerer ! 

Listen  well  to  what  he  is  telling  us. 
He  says  to  us:    "Wawa!  Wawa!" 

He  says  to  us:    "Hibou!    Hibou!" 


92  LIFE     OF    THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

Listen  during  the  tranquil  night, 

Listen  to  all  that  he  is  telling-  us; 
Listen  as  he  says :    "Whippoorwill !" 

He  is  calling:  "Kolin-f orou !''  (i  e.,  all  the  birds  of  the 
forest ) . 

Listen !  how  he  changes  his  voice ! 

He  has  sung  as  all  the  other  birds, 
As  all  which  have  ever  sung  in  the  woods, 

As  the  trees,  as  the  winds,  as  the  waters. 

He  is  such  a  grand  master,  such  a  sorcerer, 

That  all  who  hear  his  voice 
Are  spell-bound  and  forgetful. 

They  would  listen,  listen  until  death. 

Now  see  him  waltzing  in  the  sky! 
He  is  dazed  with  his  own  song! 

He  knows  not  what  he  is  doing- 
He  is  wild — reeling  with  joy! 

A  mocking-bird — a  mocking-bird! 

Ah!  an  evil  spirit  now  is  thine! 
Thou  are  drawing  out  my  soul ; — 

But  sing  to  me.    I  listen  now  again. 

One  more  work  of  Mr.  Rouquette  must  be  mentioned 
before  leaving  the  subject  of  his  literary  productions; 
but  it  deserves  a  chapter  apart,  being,  in  its  rich  beauty, 
like  the  glowing  sunset  that  follows  a  clear  summer  day. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A    LOOK   AHEAD. 

Mr.  Rouquette  was  growing  old;  his  pen  had  lain 
idle  for  so  long  that  his  friends  all  thought  the  muse  had 
deserted  him,  when  suddenly  his  talents  had  a  re-awaken- 
ing in  a  work  truly  admirable — "his  great  work,"  as  a 
distinguished  English  journalist  said — a  work  which 
elicited  the  acclamations  of  the  most  eminent  writers. 

More  than  sixty  years  of  age,  Mr.  Rouquette  writes 
with  the  fire  and  brilliancy  of  his  youth.  "La  Nouvelle 
Atala"  was  written  in  French,  and  is  an  idyl,  so  fresh,  so 
pure,  so  replete  with  truth  and  beauty  and  goodness  that 
one  scarce  knows  how  to  begin  its  description.  The  second 
part  of  the  title,  "The  Child  of  Spirit,"  introduces  the 
reader  at  once  into  a  supernatural  region,  above  the 
commonplace,  very  near  to  the  heart  of  primitive  nature, 
closely  united  to  the  God  of  Nature.  Atala  inhabits  this 
region.  To  appreciate  this  poem  in  prose,  one  should  take 
the  book  and  wander  off  alone  into  the  depths  of  the 
forest.  There,  with  the  heart  attuned  to  harmonize  with 
nature,  in  silence  and  solitude,  the  inner  spirit  of  "La. 
Nouvelle  Atala"  will  permeate  the  soul. 

The  following  is  a  brief  summary  of  Mr.  Rouquette's 
fascinating  little  legend,  though,  by  reason  of  necessary 
brevity  and  the  translation  into  English,  it  is  shorn  of  the 
greater  part  of  its  wealth  of  beauty.     *     *     * 


94  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

About  the  first  of  the  nineteenth  century  a  family  of 
French  origin  dwelt  on  their  plantation  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  United  States,  near  a  large  city.  Their  secluded 
residence  was  hidden  beyond  groves  of  orange  trees. 
Avenues  of  pecan  and  oak  trees  wearing  the  grey  moss 
festoons  and  all  the  luxuriant  growth  of  many  tropical 
vines  led  to  the  large  dwelling,  with  its  broad  verandas 
and  comfortable,  airy  structure. 

The  family  consisted  of  three  members — the  father, 
mother  and  an  only  child — a  daughter.  There  were  many 
negro  slaves  on  the  place,  to  till  the  soil,  to  tend  the  herds 
and  flocks  and  to  serve  the  master's  household. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  O had  named  their  young  daughter 

Atala,  in  memory  of  the  heroine  of  Chateaubriand's  novel, 
which  they  had  read  with  unusual  interest.  They  had  sent 
the  little  Atala  to  be  educated  in  a  famous  old  convent  of 
the  city,  and  at  the  time  the  story  opens  she  had  just  com- 
pleted her  studies  and  returned  home. 

In  disposition,  Atala  was  serious,  reflective  and  with- 
out the  slightest  attraction  for  the  ordinary  pleasures  and 
vanities  of  her  sex  and  age.  She  preferred  solitude,  and 
was  fond  of  seeking  the  most  secluded  nooks,  where  she 
could  contemplate  at  leisure  the  wild  beauties  of  the 
forest.  The  sight  of  a  flower  charmed  her,  the  song  of  a 
bird  thrilled  her  with  emotion,  the  sighing  of  the  breeze 
in  the  trees,  the  murmur  of  the  waves,  cast  her  into  a 
reverie.  In  the  open  fields,  beneath  the  majestic  pines  of 
the  forest,  her  nostrils  would  quiver  and  her  lungs  expand 
to  inhale  the  fresh  scent  from  the  wild  prairies  and  wood- 
lands. 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF    LOUISIANA.  95 

Her  imagination,  her  heart,  her  spirit,  her  whole 
being  was  drawn  by  that  mysterious  genius  who  inhabits 
the  immensity  of  the  virgin  solitudes. 

She  almost  envied  the  Indians,  who  often  visited  her 
father's  house  to  sell  their  baskets  and  aromatic  herbs, 
and  she  loved  to  speak  to  the  pure  and  innocent  maidens 
of  the  desert.  She  would  say  to  them :  "You  are  so  happy, 
while  I  am  most  miserable !  Why  was  I  not  born  in  a  reed 
cabin  like  unto  yours?  Then  I  could  wander  free  in  the 
great  forest.  Oh!  I  long  to  run  away  from  the  world  of 
civilization  and  go  with  you  far,  far  off  into  the  woods!" 

This  was  very  puzzling  to  the  simple  savages,  but  they 
asked  no  questions,  and  Atala  gave  no  further  explanation. 

All  is  wanting  to  a  soul  that  lacks  what  it  most  de- 
sires. What  are  pleasures,  riches,  glory,  celebrity?  The 
soul  is  like  an  ocean  into  which  all  the  rivers  flow,  but 
which  they  never  fill.     So  thought  Atala. 

"Oh!  Infinite  Beauty!  Oh!  Ideal  Perfection!  When 
shall  I  possess  Thee!"  cried  this  child  of  the  spirit,  whose 
soul  was  captivated  by  the  splendor  of  a  celestial  vision. 
Her  parents  understood  nothing  of  this  divine  nostalgia 
which  devoured  Atala.  Her  father  was  engrossed  in 
amassing  wealth,  and  she  cared  nothing  for  riches ;  her 
mother  was  constantly  in  the  exciting  whirl  of  worldly 
amusements,  and  Atala  despised  them  as  vain  and  useless. 
She  lived  a  life  apart,  confiding  her  secret  longings  to  none 
save  the  faithful  negro  slave  who  was  given  to  her  as  a 
present  on  her  return  from  the  convent. 

Atala's  health  was  frail,  and  with  saddened  hearts  her 
parents  beheld  her  grow  daily  more  pale  and  fragile. 


96  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

They  consulted  the  best  physicians,  but  none  could 
discover  any  malady.  All,  however,  counseled  change  of 
air,  exercise  on  foot  and  on  horseback,  and  removal  from 
habitual  scenes.  The  family  left  at  once  for  a  distant 
country  residence,  and  strove  by  every  means  to  interest 
Atala  in  her  new  surroundings. 

One  day  they  all  went  out  for  a  long  walk  in  the 
forest.  Atala  seemed  so  pleased  and  so  gay  that  her 
parents  rejoiced  to  see  her  eagerly  gathering  flowers  to 
make  a  bouquet,  and  singing  low  as  she  flitted  here  and 
there.  They  became  absorbed  in  conversation,  while  she 
wandered  further  and  further  away.  A  mocking-bird 
perched  on  a  tree  nearby  seemed  singing  to  her  alone.  He 
watched  her  closely,  and,  as  soon  as  she  drew  near  the 
tree  where  he  sang,  would  flit  away  to  a  more  distant  spot. 
Each  time  she  followed  him,  attracted  by  the  magic  of  his 
wondrous  song,  and  ere  long  she  was  far  away  from  her 
parents,  in  the  mazy  depths  of  the  forest,  where  no  path 
showed  her  how  to  return.  In  her  endeavors  to  seek  one 
she  only  went  further  away. 

The  parents  waited  some  time  for  Atala's  return,  and 
then  grew  uneasy  and  began  a  long  and  fruitless  search. 
At  last,  worn  out  with  fatigue  and  anxiety,  they  returned 
home  to  get  help.  In  another  hour  they  returned  with 
nighbors,  who  soon  made  the  forest  resound  with  their 
cries,  with  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the  firing  of  guns. 
Echoes  alone  responded. 

Atala  heard  the  noise,  but  was  frightened  and  fled  as 
fleet  as  a  deer  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  solitudes,  cross- 


POET-MISSIONAEY     OF     LOUISIANA.  97 

ing  once  or  twice  little  streamlets,  until  she  reached  a  lake, 
and  there  rested.  Night  had  come.  The  cries  ceased,  and 
silence  and  solitude  took  possession  of  the  woods.  Yet 
she  was  not  afraid.  She  felt  herself  in  safety,  and,  find- 
ing a  mossy  bank  beneath  a  spreading  oak,  slept  the  peace- 
ful sleep  of  youth  and  innocence  in  the  Heavenly  Father's 
care.  Early  in  the  morning  she  arose  and  offered  herself 
to  God,  feeling  His  presence  so  very  near ;  then  she  sought 
for  berries,  and  thus  satisfied  her  hunger.  Ere  long  the 
same  tumult  as  on  the  preceding  eve  was  heard,  but  at  a 
great  distance,  and  again  she  was  ready  to  hide,  through 
fear — not  knowing  what  wild  men  might  be  rousing  the 
echoes  of  the  forest. 

This  was  repeated  for  several  days,  until  her  parents 
lost  all  hope  of  ever  finding  her  alive,  and  so  they  returned 
to  their  old  home  disconsolate. 

Atala  grieved  for  the  pain  she  knew  they  were  suffer- 
ing on  her  account;  but  a  mysterious  love  for  the  solitude 
enchained  her,  and  she  felt  that  at  last  she  was  in  the 
sanctuary  her  heart  had  sought  so  long  in  vain.  It  seemed 
to  her  that  she  was  now  in  her  proper  sphere,  and,  select- 
ing a  sheltered  spot,  she  began  to  construct  a  sort  of  rustic 
grotto  of  stones  and  green  branches. 

In  this  humble  retreat  she  prepared  her  simple  couch 
of  leaves  and  moss.  Her  food  was  near  at  hand  in  abund- 
ant berries,  wild  fruit,  and  the  crystal  water  of  a  small 
stream  which  ran  into  the  lake. 

From  the  very  first  day  Atala  felt  a  peculiar  charm  in 
this  new  life.     She  was  never  lonely,  for  the  flowers,  the 


98  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

birds,  the  trees,  the  stars,  all  spoke  to  her  of  the  Creator. 
She  loved  them  all  and  it  seemed  to  her  they  reciprocated 
her  affection.  She  called  each  spot,  each  object  with  a 
name  of  her  own  coining,  thus  forming  a  new  vocabulary, 
a  new  language,  even  composing  an  alphabet  containing 
many  vowel  sounds  and  only  the  necessary  consonants. 
Her  language  reproduced  the  harmonies  she  heard  in  the 
many-voiced  accents  of  nature.  She  would  even  listen  to 
hear  the  flowers  to  bloom,  and  the  rays  of  starlight  quiver 
as  they  shot  through  the  mellow  air  of  evening,  and  played 
hide  and  seek  with  the  moonbeams  among  the  fleecy  cloud- 
lets in  the  sky.  Atala  had,  as  it  were,  become  the  echo  of 
the  voice  of  nature. 

The  visible  symbolizes  the  invisible;  the  sensible  the 
ideal;  the  intelligible,  the  Divine.  So  Atala  saw  God  in 
all — and  all,  in  God,  putting  everything  into  its  proper 
place,  and  as  order  is  beauty  and  harmony  and  unity,  it  is 
God  manifested  in  His  works.  All  creation  has  a  mystical 
sense  and  speaks  a  divine  language  which  we  call  poetry. 
Atala  possessed  this  instinct,  this  gift,  the  knowledge  of 
this  mystical  sense,  therefore  she  was  a  poetess.  All  her 
thoughts  were  unwritten  poems  celebrating  the  love  and 
beauty  of  God.  Her  soul  was  the  sanctuary  wherein 
burned  this  divine  fire  of  love  returned,  and  it  was  lofty, 
pure,  exalted. 

From  the  dawn  of  reason  she  had  consecrated  every 
fibre  of  her  being  to  the  Creator ;  without  even  understand- 
ing what  she  did,  she  had  made  the  vow  of  virginity,  al- 
though the  secret  was  hidden  in  the  depths  of  her  souL 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  99 

She  had  fostered  every  pious  sentiment  by  a  love  of  spirit- 
ual reading,  and  at  first,  in  her  wild-wood  home,  missed 
the  companionship  of  her  books ;  but  soon  she  learned  to 
read  from  the  great  book  whereon  God's  finger  has  traced 
the  characters  and  from  which  God  spoke  to  her  in  the 
colors,  the  sounds,  the  figures  and  diverse  forms  of  His 
works. 

The  open  life  of  the  forest  soon  developed  the  maiden 
into  a  woman  and  ere  long,  tall,  majestic,  her  long  black 
hair  flowing  free,  her  dark  eyes  reflecting  the  dim  avenues 
of  the  sombre  woods,  with  a  glint  of  the  sunshine  and  a 
gleam  of  the  moonbeam,  she  might  remind  one  of  Mar- 
guerite de  Montmorency,  the  Solitary  of  the  Pyrenees,  or 
rather,  the  imposing  personification  of  the  wild,  the  aus- 
tere nature  surrounding  her. 

In  her  wanderings  she  often  met  tribes  of  Indians, 
who  called  her  the  "White  Savage,"  and  often  hunters  re- 
turning from  the  chase  would  place  beside  her  little  her- 
mitage game  and  the  skins  of  wild  beasts,  dressed  and 
ready  to  convert  into  apparel. 

A  young  Indian  maiden  who  was  persecuted  by  her 
parents  for  having  received  Baptism,  sought  the  retreat 
of  Atala  and  received  hospitality.  They  spoke  not  the 
same  language,  but  were  soon  able  to  understand  one  an- 
other; and  Atala  taught  her  companion  the  language  she 
had  composed,  without  knowing  that  she  was  imitating 
St.  Hildegard,  who  also  composed  a  mystic  language  which 
she  alone  understood. 

Atala  had  kept  with  care  the  dress  she  wore  when 


100  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

lost,  and  was  thus  enabled  to  attend  Mass  in  a  little  forest 
chapel.  The  saintly  old  priest,  her  confessor,  alone  knew 
her  history.  He  gave  her  aid  from  time  to  time,  but 
never  revealed  her  secret.  He  thought  her  more  like  a 
religious  than  a  sibyl. 

The  young  Indian  girl,  who  had  become  Atala's  com- 
panion, had  a  brother  who  still  loved  his  sister,  and  who 
always  brought  her  a  share  of  his  game,  so  the  two  maid- 
ens never  lacked  food. 

Atala,  who  so  loved  the  birds  that  they  would  perch 
upon  her  head  and  sing  while  she  worked  and  prayed,  had 
also  gained  the  affection  of  a  gentle  hind,  which  she 
named  Palki  or  Fleetfoot,  and  the  faithful  animal  gave 
her  milk,  fresh  and  pure.  She  had  likewise  won  the  fidel- 
ity of  a  magnificent  deer  hound,  which  one  day  pursued 
Palki  even  to  the  hermitage  of  her  mistress.  When  the 
dog  saw  Atala  kneeling  motionless,  her  eyes  raised  to 
heaven,  her  arms  extended,  he  stopped  and  then,  as  though 
charmed  by  some  secret  influence,  crept  close  to  the 
kneeling  girl  and  lay  down  beside  her.  He  never  after  left 
her.  On  account  of  a  white  spot  on  his  forehead,  Atala 
called  him  "Star." 

Palki  and  Star  guarded  the  repose  of  their  mistress 
with  a  vigilance  as  sure  as  the  grilles  of  the  monastery  af- 
ford the  cloistered  nuns. 

The  young  Indian  who  shared  Atala's  solitude,  built 
for  herself  a  little  hermitage  near  by  on  the  border  of 
Lake  Okatta.  Thus  Lassima,  or  the  "Flower  of  the  Even- 
ing" dwelt  beside  her  friend.    Atala  was  very  happy,  but 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  101 

sometimes  the  remembrance  of  her  childhood's  home  would 
come  back  to  her  mind,  and  she  would  wonder  what  her 
parents  were  doing",  and  whether  they  still  grieved  over 
her  loss.  Then  she  would  sigh  with  the  desire  to  see  once 
more  her  own  Rosalie,  the  confidant  of  her  childish  days. 

One  evening,  when  Atala  was  thus  musing  over  the 
past,  a  shadow  fell  across  the  entrance  of  the  grotto. 
Atala  looked  up  and  beheld  Rosalie's  welcome  face.  In  an 
instant  the  slave  was  kneeling  at  her  mistress'  feet.  At 
last  Atala  found  her  voice  and  the  language  of  her  child- 
hood to  ask  news  of  her  parents,  and  how  Rosalie  had 
found  her. 

"They  are  well,"  answered  Rosalie,  "and  it  is  only  by 
perseverance  in  seeking  you  that  I  am  at  last  successful. 
Regarding  the  rest,  ask  me  no  more.  Some  day  when 
the  hour  comes,  I  will  reveal  all." 

So  Atala  asked  no  more  questions.  Rosalie  had  come 
to  share  the  life  of  her  mistress,  so  she  at  once  constructed 
a  shelter  for  herself,  and  having  brought  with  her  some 
seed  and  implements  of  cultivation,  began  a  little  garden 
in  which  she  raised  corn,  potatoes  and  beans.  The  rich 
soil  rendered  the  hundred  fold,  so  there  was  plenty  in 
the  hermitage  for  the  three  solitaries. 

Lassima,  Atala's  first  companion,  had  a  brother,  as 
was  mentioned  before,  who  came  to  bring  them  game. 
His  name  was  Issabe,  or  the  "Killer  of  Deer,"  and  when 
he  saw  Rosalie,  the  "daughter  of  the  night,"  he  wished  to 
win  her  for  his  bride,  and  always  counseled  his  sister  to 
give  the  half  of  whatever  he  brought  to  Rosalie. 


102  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

Lassima  smiled  and  asked  if  he  had  dreamed  of  a 
cradle  swinging  from  the  branch  of  an  oak  He  answered 
not  but  pursued  his  suit.  At  first  Rosalie  refused  to  re- 
linquish her  maiden  liberty,  but  when  Issabe  saved  her 
from  the  charm  of  a  rattlesnake,  and  when  he  promised 
to  be  baptised,  she  yielded  consent. 

Lassima  was  grieved  to  think  that  earthly  love  was 
stealing  Issabe  and  Eosalie  from  the  service  of  God. 
"Happy  the  virgin,"  she  would  exclaim,  "who  like  Atala 
loves  God  alone  and  resembles  the  angels!"  Then  in  an 
ecstasy  of  thanksgiving  she  would  renew  her  own  conse- 
cration. 

About  this  time  a  new  personage  appeared  and  Avon 
the  esteem  and  respect  of  the  solitaries.  European  by 
birth,  he  came  to  America  and  begged  to  be  admitted 
among  the  Indians  as  one  of  their  tribe. 

He  had  belonged  to  a  noble  Breton  family,  had  exer- 
cised important  functions  in  France  and  might  have 
looked  forward  to  a  career  of  renown,  but  had  abandoned 
home  and  country  to  become  a  savage  and- was  known 
among  the  Indians  as  Hopoyouska,  or  "Wise  Man." 

Hopoyouska  and  Issabe  had  become  friends,  hunting 
together,  sitting  beside  the  same  fire,  and  reposing  be- 
neath the  same  tree.  Hopoyouska  loved  God  with  a  love 
so  intense  that  he  hated  evil  and  wickedness  with  a  hatred 
that  knows  not  how  to  spare.  Hence  he  fled  from  France, 
the  land  of  his  love,  because  he  could  not  see  her  ruled  by 
a  government  which  sought  to  banish  God  and  His  service, 
to  abolish  relis>'ion.     Here  in  the  virgin  forest  he  could 


POET-MISSIONAEY     OF     LOUISIANA.  103 

possess  his  God  in  profound  peace  and  pure  joy.  For 
several  years  he  bad  dwelt  in  the  very  forest  which  had 
given  Atala  a  home,  but  had  never  addressed  her,  content 
to  admire  her  from  a  distance. 

One  day  when  Hopoyouska  was  near  the  hermitage 
he  ventured  to  speak  to  Atala.  She  received  him  kindly, 
and  when  he  began  to  tell  her  the  story  of  his  life  she  lis- 
tened with  great  sympathy.  He  recounted  to  her  how 
he  had  come  to  dwell  among  the  Indians,  and  that  loved 
by  a  beautiful  daughter  of  the  tribe,  had  wedded  her. 
Their  union  was  blessed  by  the  birth  of  a  daughter,  but 
alas!  during  his  absence,  enemies  had  come,  destroyed  his 
home  and  taken  away  his  wife  and  child.  The  tale  was  so 
pathetic  that  as  he  spoke  the  tears  fell  from  Atala's  down- 
cast eyes.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  narrative,  he  looked 
upon  Atala  exclaiming,  "Thou,  who  art  so  beautiful,  re- 
mindest  me  of  my  poor  Pakanli,  that  ideal  woman  whom  I 
so  loved  and  have  lost.  Oh!  Atala!  If  you  are  free  to  give 
yourself  to  another " 

He  could  say  no  more,  for  with  a  piercing  shriek 
Atala  fell  senseless  at  his  feet — horror  and  anguish  de- 
picted on  her  countenance. 

The  heavens  grew  dark,  thunder  rolled  ominously  on 
high  and  a  bewildering  flash  of  lightning  struck  a  tall 
pine  near  by,  sending  a  large  section  of  splintered  wood, 
burying  it  deeply  in  the  ground  at  Hopoyouska's  side. 

Fear,  terror,  remorse,  filled  his  soul.  "Sacrilegious 
fool  that  I  am!  I  have  tried  to  rob  the  Almighty  of  His 
consecrated  spouse!"  And  he  fled  from  the  spot  which  he 
felt  that  his  presence  polluted. 


104  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

Lassima  and  Rosalie  had  flown  to  Atala's  assistance, 
and  soon  revived  their  holy  companion.  But  the  past  in- 
terview was  impressed  upon  her  mind,  and  she  did  not 
cease  weeping  bitterly  and  crying  aloud  to  her  Heavenly 
Spouse.  Oh!  my  God,  where  was  Thy  jealous  love  when 
this  man  dared  to  suggest  to  me,  Thy  promised  bride,  the 
thought  of  human  marriage!  Oh!  how  long  is  my  exile? 
Would  that  I  had  the  wings  of  a  dove,  that  I  might  fly  to 
Thee,  my  treasure,  my  love!  O  would  that  my  soul  could 
break  the  chains  that  bind  me  to  earth !  O  death !  how  slow 
thou  art  to  come!  O  my  best  beloved!  come,  come  and 
take  me  to  Thee! 

Atala  was  consumed  by  a  divine  nostalgia  and  the 
fragrance  of  immortality  was  just  ready  to  be  wafted 
from  the  flower  that  was  drooping  toward  the  tomb.  As 
day  succeeded  day  Atala  grew  weaker  and  more  feeble. 
Her  devoted  friends  saw  she  could  not  linger  much  longer 
separated  from  the  union  with  the  Heavenly  Bridegroom. 
She  was  ripe  for  heaven. 

At  last  Lassima  and  Rosalie  realized  that  the  end 
was  very  near,  so  they  summoned  Issabe  and  Hopoyouska. 
They  came  and  brought  with  them  the  venerable  Father 
Emmanuel,  who  administered  to  Atala  all  the  rites  of 
Holy  Church  for  her  departing  children.  After  the  cere- 
mony Atala  revived.  Rosalie  knew  her  strength  could 
not  last  long,  so  she  knelt  beside  the  lowly  couch,  took  the 
dying  saint's  hand,  and  said :  "My  dear  Mistress,  the  hour 
has  come  for  me  to  reveal  what  I  promised  you  long  ago 
when  first  I  joined  you  in  this  solitude.     Listen,  this  is 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  105 

the  history.  About  fifty  years  ago  was  born  an  infant 
whom  her  parents  named  Pakanli,  the  Flower.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  this  maiden  from  the  banks  of  the  Houmi- 
kli  in  Alabama  was  given  in  marriage  to  the  grand  chief 
of  the  Seminoles.  Pakanli  had  two  children  when  the 
chief  was  killed  in  the  war  between  the  Indians  and  the 
white  men.  She  had  been  a  widow  for  two  years,  when  she 
met  and  was  beloved  by  a  son  of  France,  a  noble  Breton, 
who  had  come  to  dwell  among  the  Indians,  and  he  made 
her  his  bride.  A  daughter  was  born  to  them  and  in  bap- 
tism received  the  name  Marie. 

One  night,  when  the  paleface  was  away  hunting,  an 
uncle  of  Pakanli  came  to  execute  vengeance  upon  her  for 
having  wedded  an  alien.  He  destroyed  the  cabin,  and 
placing  Pakanli  and  her  infant  behind  him  on  his  fleet 
war  horse,  rode  rapidly  away.  They  travelled  for  more 
than  a  week,  and  he  left  Pakanli  and  her  child  in  a  vast 
forest  near  a  great  city.  She  was  skilful  in  weaving  bas- 
kets, and  sold  her  wares  in  the  market  place. 

All  went  well  until  the  terrible  fever  and  cholera  rav- 
aged the  city.  Pakanli  caught  the  infection  and  dragged 
her  fainting  steps  to  the  home  of  a  wealthy  planter.  He 
was  as  charitable  as  he  was  rich,  and  took  her  in,  doing 
all  in  his  power  to  nurse  her  to  health.  All  was  in  vain. 
She  died  and  left  to  her  kind  Samaritan  the  legacy  of  her 
little  child.  The  planter  and  his  wife  were  childless  and 
they  gladly  adopted  the  little  Marie.  She  was  educated  in 
the  best  convent  of  the  great  city,  and  then  brought  home 
to  gladden  the  hearts  of  her  parents.  But  the  child,  now 
a  maiden,  was  not  happy  although  all  that  was  possible 


106  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

was  done  to  render  her  life  agreeable.  Once,  during  an 
excursion  into  the  forest,  she  became  separated  and  was 
lost." 

As  Eosalie  continued  her  story,  Hopoyouska  drew 
nearer,  and  knelt  as  near  as  possible  to  the  dying  virgin. 

"This  young  girl,  this  mystic  virgin,  this  spouse  of 
Christ,  who  was  called  Atala  by  Mr.  and  Madame  Oman, 
was  not  their  child,  but  the  daughter  of  Pakanli  and  the 
noble  Frenchman  who  came  from  Brittany  to  live  with 
and  as  the  Indians  of  America."  Rosalie  paused  and 
Hopoyouska,  unable  longer  to  control  his  emotion,  cried 
out :  "She  is  then  my  own  daughter,"  and  taking  the  hand 
of  Atala  kissed  it  reverently,  while  the  hot  tears  streamed 
from  his  eyes. 

Atala,  half  supported  and  partly  by  the  strength 
given  her  from  excitement,  whispered  faintly,  but  audibly : 
"What  I  have  never  understood  in  my  life,  I  now  com- 
prehend at  the  hour  of  death.  My  God  and  my  all,  I  am 
ready,  receive  my  soul!  It  has  never  loved  aught  but 
Thee!"  She  fell  back;  her  prayer  was  answered.  Atala 
was  dead.     ***** 

Such  is  the  substance  of  the  last  great  work  of  Mr. 
Rouquette.  The  legend  was  recounted  to  him  by  an  aged 
Indian  woman  of  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  years  of  age, 
who  claimed  to  have  known  the  various  persons  men- 
tioned in  the  tale.  Words  of  appreciation  must  be  brief, 
though  the  subject  tempts  one  to  linger  long  over  this 
pure  and  chaste  Idyl  of  Louisiana. 

The  following  quotation  from  eminent  critics  will 
suffice  to  establish  the  great  merit  of  "La  Nouvelle  Atala." 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  107 

"Aside  from  the  religious  idea  which  permeates  like  a 
leaven  the  whole  structure  of  the  volume,  "La  Nouvelle 
Atala"  offers  a  curious  study  from  a  purely  literary  point 
of  view.  It  reflects  the  spirit  of  a  life,  a  most  unique 
and  strange  life,  the  life  of  a  missionary  so  enamored  with 
nature  and  with  solitude,  and  of  the  simple,  healthy  ex- 
istence of  those  who  call  him  the  "Black-Robe  Father," 
that  he  has  become  as  one  of  them  as  his  Indian  appella- 
tion teaches  us.  A  priest  whose  temple  is  the  forest,  with 
the  cloud-frescoed  heaven  for  its  roof;  and  for  the  aisles 
the  pillared  magnificence  of  the  pines;  whose  God  is  the 
God  of  the  Wilderness,  the  great  Spirit  overshadowing 
the  desert — must  be  a  man  of  high  and  holy  aspirations. 

Aside  from  its  spiritual  merits  we  may  call  attention 
to  the  work  as  a  most  remarkable  and  beautiful  piece  of 
writing,  idyllic  in  sentiment,  strong  and  brilliant  in  col- 
oring, valuable  as  a  unique  example  of  romance,  inspired 
by  the  personal  experience  of  a  life  spent  in  the  solitude 
of  the  wilderness/' 

From  the  pen  of  another  we  read :  "Atala  is  written 
in  most  harmonious  language,  spontaneous,  picturesque, 
colored,  fresh,  limpid,  graceful,  with  all  the  effervescence 
of  youth.  The  work  is  a  resume  of  the  most  diversified 
talent.  The  author  has  put  his  own  soul  and  life  into  it. 
It  is  the  cry  of  his  heart.  From  the  midst  of  a  material 
world  he  conducts  the  soul  up  into  the  sublime  regious 
of  the  ideal.  But  to  understand  and  appreciate  'La  Nou- 
velle  Atala,'  one  must  be  pure  of  heart.  Only  the  pure  of 
heart  see  God." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

god's  hour. 

As  we  saw  in  a  preceding  chapter,  Adrien  Rouquette 
returned  to  New  Orleans  in  1843.  He  was  now  in  the 
full  vigor  of  his  manhood  and  had  embraced  what  he 
deemed  the  career  destined  for  him  by  Divine  Providence. 
He  had  proved  his  capability  as  a  writer,  and  the  world 
had  welcomed  his  works  with  applause. 

Once  settled  at  home  in  New  Orleans,  he  resumed  his 
literary  labors,  entering  the  broader  field  of  journalism, 
soon  to  become  one  of  Abbe  Perche's  most  efficient  co- 
workers. 

Thus  the  future  seemed  mapped  out  to  every  one's 
satisfaction.  But  as  the  Prophet  tells  us  of  the  Almighty's 
designs:  "Your  thoughts  are  not  my  thoughts,"  so  in  the 
secret  arrangements  of  the  Most  High,  a  new  epoch  in 
Adrien  Rouquette's  life  was  at  hand. 

Before  touching  upon  the  coming  event,  so  wonder- 
ful and  so  far  reaching  in  its  effects,  a  glance  backward 
at  the  history  of  religious  affairs  in  New  Orleans  is  neces- 
sary. 

We  need  not  dwell  upon  the  great  work  accomplished 
by  Bishop  Dubourg  and  his  immediate  successors,  Bishops 
Rosati  and  de  Neckere,  but  proceed  directly  to  the  great 
prelate  who  achieved  what  these  had  so  nobly  begun.  In 
1835,  Bishop   Blanc   had   been  appointed  to  the  onerous 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  109 

responsibilities  of  the  See  of  New  Orleans.  His  first  object 
was  to  pursue  the  spiritual  restoration  begun  by  Bishop 
Dubourg.  It  was  no  sinecure  that  had  fallen  to  his  lot. 
There  were  difficulties  and  obstacles  on  all  sides  to  be 
removed  and  smoothed  over,  and  it  was  a  labor  demand- 
ing heroic  patience,  perseverance  and  humble  self-sacri- 
fice, and  that  not  for  a  month,  or  two,  but  perhaps  for 
years.  Undaunted  by  the  unpromising  aspect  in  many 
circumstances,  he  resolutely  set  to  work,  strong  in  the 
might  of  God,  set  to  work  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  God 
blessed  his  labors.  By  degrees  consolations  came  to  cheer 
the  Bishop.  Religious  orders  were  multiplied,  their  works 
flourished  and  it  was  with  the  keenest  satisfaction  that 
the  venerable  prelate  saw  vocations  springing  up  from 
among  his  own  flock.  Nothing  could  have  given  him 
more  genuine  satisfaction,  for  was  it  not  a  proof  that  the 
Master  was  pleased  with  His  shepherd  and  wished  to 
manifest  His  appreciation,  by  inviting  chosen  souls  to 
join  His  elect! 

Bishop  Blanc,  therefore,  determined  to  found  a  sem- 
inary. He  chose  the  salubrious,  secluded  site  in  Assump- 
tion Parish  on  the  banks  of  Bayou  Lafourche,  near  the 
town  of  Plattenville.  The  inhabitants  of  that  region  were 
descendants  of  the  old  Spanish  settlers  and  the  French 
emigrees,  who  had  retained  their  quiet,  pious,  peaceful 
habits  with  a  love  of  culture  and  refinement,  and  were 
patrons  of  education,  and  above  all  devoted  to  their  re- 
ligion and  pastors.  The  whole  State  could  not  have  fur- 
nished a  more  favorable  location,  and  from  1838,  the  year 


110  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

of  the  foundation,  until  1855,  when  the  Seminary  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  it  was  a  veritable  home  of  piety  and  eccle- 
siastical discipline  under  the  able  management  of  those 
renowned  trainers  of  young  levites,  the  Lazarists. 

There  was  another  reason  why  Bishop  Blanc  did  not 
attach  the  Seminary  to  his  own  residence.  For  many  years 
there  had  been  a  very  sad  state  of  affairs  at  the  Cathedral. 
As  far  back  as  1828  Leo  XII  had  been  obliged  to  condemn 
the  mode  of  procedure  of  the  lay  trustees.  Unfortunately 
this  was  not  very  effective,  and  the  abuses  continued  to 
prosper  until  the  trustees  had  actually  usurped  even  the 
spiritual  authority.  In  the  time  of  Bishop  Dubourg, 
when  he  returned  from  Rome,  at  the  period  when  he  se- 
cured the  services  of  Mr.  de  Andreis  and  Mr.  Rosati,  his 
intention  had  been  to  fix  his  See  in  New  Orleans  and  es- 
tablish the  Congregation  of  the  Mission  in  that  city.  But 
there  was  so  much  opposition  that  he  was  forced  to  change 
his  plans  and  settle  in  St.  Louis. 

Later,  when  some  of  the  anti-clerical  chiefs  were  out 
of  the  way,  he  was  able  to  come  to  New  Orleans.  But  the 
troubles  were  not  ended  yet.  The  trustees  still  governed 
the  Cathedral.  They  were  elected  by  the  congregation,  and 
in  order  to  secure  votes  admitted  to  the  church,  on  those 
occasions  particularly,  people  of  any  or  no  denomination. 
So  one  need  not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  at  one  time  the 
president  of  the  board  of  trustees  was  at  the  same  time 
grand  master  of  a  Masonic  lodge,  and  had  gone  so  far  as 
to  attempt  to  erect  a  Masonic  vault  in  the  Cathedral  cein- 
eterv. 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  Ill 

In  1842  a  new  outbreak  of  hostilities  occurred.  The 
trustees  positively  refused  to  allow  Bishop  Blanc  or  any 
priest  appointed  by  him,  the  privilege  of  officiating  in  the 
church.  This  was  the  climax.  The  Bishop  at  once  placed 
the  church  under  an  interdict.  The  trustees  were  furious, 
and  determined  to  call  in  every  weapon  of  the  law  to  force 
the  ecclesiastical  authority  to  bend  before  their  will.  Liti- 
gation ensued  and  the  battle  continued  in  the  courts  al- 
most a  year — ending  finally  in  1843 — and  may  it  ever  re- 
dound to  the  glory  of  Louisiana,  by  a  complete  victory  for 
the  discipline  of  the  church. 

Therefore  in  1843,  at  the  time  of  Adrien's  return 
excitement  and  party  spirit  ran  high.  However,  the 
Church  was  soon  to  issue  from  the  conflict  stronger,  more 
powerful,  and  more  flourishing  than  ever.  It  was  a  criti- 
cal moment.  There  must  be  union  of  forces  to  combat 
error  and  re-establish  right.  Abbe  Perche  was  a  host  in 
himself  with  his  writings  and  influence  on  the  other  sup- 
porters of  the  Catholic  press. 

He  had  realized  what  a  gain  his  cause  would  enjoy 
in  securing  Mr.  Kouquette's  services,  and  the  prize  was 
won.  Adrien  was  now  ready  and  willing  to  devote  all  his 
energies  toward  the  moral  elevation  of  mankind  and  the 
progress  of  religion,  to  aid  in  the  warfare  the  Church  must 
ever  wage  against  the  powers  of  evil,  and  with  filial  en- 
deavor to  show  forth  her  divine  mission. 

Here  was  the  very  occasion — the  very  opportunity — 
and  he  embraced  it. 

Bishop  Blanc  felt  that  now  was  the  propitious  hour 


112  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

to  draw  the  people  together,  to  foster  their  piety,  love  of 
God,  devotion  to  the  Church,  and  above  all,  at  the  present 
moment,  win  their  filial  obedience  to  their  lawful  pastors, 
whom  they  must  now  actively  support  in  the  distressing 

conflict. 

Inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Bishop  decided  that 
a  mission  would  be  given  to  the  lay  Catholics  in  the 
church  adjoining  the  episcopal  resident,  at  St.  Mary's,  on 
Chartres  Street,  near  the  St.  Louis  Cathedral,  now  stand- 
ing so  solemn,  so  dark,  so  gloomy,  in  its  desertion,  under 
the  ban  of  interdiction.  Abbe  Perche  was  chosen  as  the 
orator  for  the  mission.  He  enjoyed  a  well-deserved  re- 
nown as  an  eloquent  and  persuasive  preacher,  and  those 
who  did  not  know  him  in  that  capacity,  were  curious  to 
hear  as  a  speaker  one  so  distinguished  as  a  writer.  The 
whole  city  was  excited,  enthusiastic,  and  many  were  ready 
to  rally  to  the  call  for  loyal  adherence  to  God's  cause. 

Adrien's  sympathies  were  already  enlisted  in  this 
cause,  and  even  were  it  not  so,  the  personal  magnetism  of 
Abbe  Perche's  character  exerted  such  an  attraction  that 
he  could  not  have  kept  away.  St.  Mary's  Church  was 
packed,  there  was  not  even  standing  room,  and  many  were 
obliged  to  return  home  without  even  reaching  the  door. 
This  continued  throughout  the  mission. 

Adrien,  from  his  connection  with  the  Abbe,  was  al- 
lowed a  privileged  place,  and  there  the  grace  of  God 
awaited  him. 

It  is  very  hard,  nay,  it  is  impossible  to  tell  what 
transpires  within  the  depths  of  the  soul  when  the  voice  of 


POET-MISSIONAEY     OF     LOUISIANA.  113 

God  speaks  there  and  makes  known  His  superabounding 
love — when  that  love  solicits  the  total  surrender,  and  do- 
nation with  return  of  love,  when  the  soul  in  bliss  ineffable 
is  betrothed  to  her  God.  Such  a  moment  came  to  Adrien 
Rouquette.  The  God  of  the  Sanctuary  held  converse  with 
his  soul,  whispered  to  him  those  solemn,  mystic  words  that 
cause  the  flame  of  love  to  be  enkindled  in  the  heart,  and 
then  allure  to  self-renunciation,  self-surrender,  self-sacri- 
fice, beckoning  on  to  the  mount  which  is  both  Thabor  and 
Calvary. 

For  it  is  Thabor  to  be  allowed  to  follow  Him,  and 
Calvary  not  to  be  able  to  draw  all  hearts  to  love  Him. 
Thabor  to  share  in  His  priesthood,  Calvary  to  suffer  and 
toil  for  the  salvation  of  souls. 

To  say  that  Adrien  was  impressed  is  too  faint  a  word, 
and  conveys  no  idea  of  the  state  of  his  mind.  All  the 
good  effects  produced  some  years  before  in  his  soul  by 
the  sermons  of  Father  de  Ravignan  at  Notre  Dame  in 
Paris,  were  renewed  with  a  hundredfold  intensity.  Now 
was  God's  hour.  What  could  the  words  have  been  which 
affected  such  a  marvellous  change?  It  matters  little.  God 
sent  one  of  those  lightning  flashes  of  grace  such  as  struck 
down  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  and  transformed  him 
into  an  Apostle  of  Christ. 

God  makes  use  of  insignificant  instruments,  some 
simple  idea  which  apparently  embodies  nothing  extra- 
ordinary, as  a  medium  by  which  to  communicate  a  great 
luminous  truth  to  the  soul. 

At  that  instant,  a  few  words  are  impregnated  by  God's 


114  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

special  grace,  they  enter  the  mind  and  shed  such  abun- 
dant efficacious  light  and  strength  that  the  soul  sees 
clearly  what  before  was  dark,  and  embraces  joyfully  what 
the  Master  desires.  The  hour  of  grace  passes,  but  the 
effects  remain — and  one  will  wonder,  upon  considering  the 
words,  which  God  used  as  a  medium  of  communication, 
how  they  could  ever  have  been  fraught  with  such  signifi- 
cance. They  were  vivified  by  grace,  just  as  the  little  cop- 
per wire  conveying  the  magic  current  of  electricity  to 
illume  the  fairy-like  designs,  receives  its  power  from  the 
dynamo. 

So  during  the  mission  God  sent  His  illuminating 
grace  into  Adrien  Rouquette's  soul  and  invited  him  to  a 
new  life,  so  high,  so  noble,  that  he  had  never  even  dreamed 
he  could  be  found  worthy  to  approach  it.  Yet  it  was  of- 
fered him  and  in  response  his  whole  soul  was  filled  with 
a  sweetness  never  before  experienced  and  an  overwhelming 
desire  to  go  forth  and  do  great  things  for  God.  A  love  was 
kindled  within  his  heart,  a  personal  love  for  Christ,  his 
Master,  and  to  satisfy  this  love,  he  was  impelled  to  the 
priesthood.  This  thought  alone  occupied  his  mind.  What 
mattered  the  rest.  He  had  no  time  now  to  study  ways  and 
means.  He  had  no  time  for  aught  except  to  rejoice  over 
his  new-found  love,  and  it  was  all-absorbing.  Days  went 
by  and  the  great  call  was  still  a  secret  locked  within  his 
breast.  The  mission  closed  and  Adrien  was  silent,  and, 
it  seemed,  even  taciturn.  Every  one  expected  to  hear  that 
he  had  disappeared  as  of  old,  hastening  to  bury  himself 
in  the  forest,  but  their  surmises  were  unfulfilled.    He  knew 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  115 

that  with  his  impulsive  nature,  serious  reflection  should 
precede  such  an  all-important  step.  Hence  meditation  and 
prayer  accompanied  his  election.  The  final  decision  was 
made,  and  he  went  to  pay  a  visit  to  Bishop  Blanc. 

Adrien  recounted  the  history  of  his  life — and  told 
how  God  seemed  to  call  him  to  the  Sanctuary,  terminat- 
ing his  recital  with  these  words : 

"Here  I  am,  Monseigneur ;  you  know  all  and  have  only 
to  say  the  word,  and  I  will  leave  at  once  for  the  Seminary." 

The  holy  Prelate  laid  his  hand  upon  the  head  of  the 
young  man  kneeling  beside  him  and  replied :  "My  Son, 
I  bless  your  resolution  and  willingly  accept  you  as  a  can- 
didate for  the  priesthood.  You  may  enter  the  Seminary 
just  as  soon  as  you  can  settle  your  worldly  affairs  and  be 
ready.  Come  to  see  me  again  when  you  are  ready  to  de- 
part." 

Adrien  left  to  hasten  his  preparations,  and  was  soon 
able  to  appoint  the  date.  He  had  never  known  what  it 
was  to  bind  his  actions  to  the  will  of  another.  For  years 
he  had  come  and  gone  to  Bayou  Lacombe,  and  even  to  Eu- 
rope, as  the  spirit  moved  him,  so  now  he  acted  as  hereto- 
fore, with  perfect  independence.  Settling  his  affairs  did 
not  consume  much  time,  so  at  about  thirty  years  of  age, 
(1844)  Adrien  bade  adieu  to  the  world,  and  went  to  Plat- 
tenville  to  enter  the  Seminary. 

There  is  little  to  be  said  of  the  life  of  a  seminarian. 
Adrien  was  a  good  scholar,  and  devoted  himself  entirely 
to  his  theology.  The  uniform  regularity  makes  the  days 
pretty  much  the  same.     The  visits  of  the  Bishop  were 


116  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

epochs  in  the  life  of  the  students,  and  especially  when,  as 
in  the  case  of  Adrien,  they  marked  the  periods  of  his  pro- 
gressive steps  toward  Holy  Orders.  Mr.  Rouquette  re- 
ceived the  Order  of  Sub-Deacon  in  1844,  and  at  last  the 
goal  of  his  ambition  was  attained  when,  in  1845,  he  was 
ordained  a  priest  forever  according  to  the  Order  of  Melch- 
isedeek. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A    NEW    VOCATION. 

Bishop  Blanc,  from  the  beginning  of  his  acquaintance 
with  Father  Rouquette,  had  formed  a  warm  attachment 
for  the  young  man  whose  progress  he  had  followed  with 
great  interest,  especially  after  he  entered  the  Seminary. 

A  few  days  after  his  ordination  the  Bishop  sent  for 
Father  Rouquette,  and  told  him  the  plans  for  the  near 
future.  He  was  to  become  a  member  of  the  Bishop's 
household  and  exercise  his  ministery  in  the  St.  Louis 
Cathedral.  The  stirring  times  of  the  warfare  between  the 
clergy  and  the  trustees  had  given  place  to  peace,  but,  as 
the  Bishop  said,  it  was  necessary  to  labor  earnestly  and 
use  every  means  possible  to  attract  and  to  hold  the  peo- 
ple. The  Cathedral  required  zealous  pastors  who  would 
not  only  administer  the  Sacraments,  but  who  would 
preach  the  word  of  God  regularly  and  so  effectively  that 
the  congregation  would  be  attracted  by  the  sermons.  And 
these  should  not  only  be  eloquent  orations,  but  also  ex- 
positions of  solid  Christian  doctrine. 

The  Bishop  had  studied  the  character,  talents  and  ap- 
titudes of  his  young  cleric,  so  he  knew  that  his  desires 
would  be  realized. 

Thus  Father  Rouquette  began  an  apostolate  which 
was  to  last  fourteen  long  years,  each  bearing  a  fruitful 
harvest  for  the  Master  of  the  Vineyard. 


118  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

If  only  the  stones  of  the  "vieuoD  quarticr"  could  speak, 
what  volumes  they  would  tell.  The  walls  of  the  great  Ca- 
thedral would  become  eloquent  in  describing  the  young 
priest's  untiring  devotedness,  self-sacrifice  and  love  drawn 
from  his  Savior's  Heart,  for  the  little  ones  of  Christ.  The 
baptismal  font,  the  confessional,  the  altar  and  the  pulpit 
were  the  witnesses  of  his  zeal.  Particularly  in  the  latter 
did  Father  Rouquette  display  that  marvellous  capacity, 
that  virile  energy,  fiery  eloquence,  sublime  heights  of  sa- 
cred science,  and  that  tender  piety  which  drew  immense 
crowds,  Sunday  after  Sunday,  to  hear  him  preach. 

"The  New  Lacordaire,"  as  many  of  his  admirers  liked 
to  name  him.  Besides  ministering  in  the  church,  Father 
Rouquette  labored  no  less  generously  among  the  poor,  the 
sick,  the  sinful  members  of  the  parish.  The  old  flag  pave- 
ments, the  dark  alleys,  the  secluded  courtyards,  these 
could  tell  of  his  visitations,  so  hidden  and  quiet  that  only 
the  angels  knew  the  record. 

The  night  was  never  too  dark  or  stormy  for  him  to 
respond  at  once  to  a  sick  call,  and  this,  irrespective  of 
position,  nationality,  or  color.  Rich  or  poor,  saint  or  sin- 
ner, slave  or  master,  Father  Rouquette  went  as  lovingly, 
as  readily  to  one  as  to  the  other.  If  he  ever  showed  a  pref- 
erence it  was  in  his  eager  desire  to  regain  a  sinful  soul  to 
its  Redeemer,  for  he  looked  first  to  the  welfare  of  the 
immortal  soul.  One  among  many  similar  incidents  will 
illustrate  his  tender  charity  for  the  poor. 

A  family  of  French  origin  had  lived  for  years  in  the 
Cathedral  Parish.    As  was  the  custom,  they  owned  slaves, 


POET-MISSIOXABY     OF     LOUISIANA.  119 

and,  as  some  of  the  rare  cases  which  unfortunately  did 
exist,  looked  upon  the  negroes  as  creatures  born  to  serve 
in  rank  no  better  than  the  other  domestic  animals.  Mad- 
ame   was  a  widow,  and  thought  a  life  in  the  midst 

of  Parisian  gayeties  would  be  an  agreeable  change.  So 
she  left  her  property  to  be  sold,  with  several  slaves  too 
aged  and  useless  to  accompany  her. 

Meanwhile  one  old  negress  became  bedridden  and  was 
left  destitute,  starving  and  wanting  for  everything.  The 
account  of  her  case  was  made  known  to  Father  Rouquette, 
and  at  once  he  went  to  visit  her. 

Ill,  in  the  midst  of  dirt  and  disorder,  she  was  an  ob- 
ject of  pity.  The  young  priest  paid  a  negro  girl  to  visit 
every  day  and  attend  to  the  old  woman,  while  he  himself 
would  come  laden  with  food  and  clothing  and  even  with 
wood  for  fuel.  He  would  then  sweep  the  poor  hovel,  make 
the  fire  and  sometimes  cook  something  for  his  protege  to 
eat,  and  then,  after  having  ministered  to  her  bodily  needs, 
he  would  sit  beside  her  humble  bed  and  speak  to  her  of 
God's  mercy  and  love  and  forgiveness,  preparing  her  for 
Confession,  Holy  Communion  and  the  Last  Sacraments. 
Xo  matter  what  were  the  occupations  of  the  day,  before 
retiring  to  his  own  well-earned  rest,  he  would  seek  the  old 
brick  outhouse  where  the  dying  negress  lay  waiting  for 
the  visit  of  "Mon  Pere."  Many  a  time  he  furtively  se- 
creted the  best  portion  of  his  dinner  to  take  to  some  such 
case.  But  he  was  more  loved  for  his  personal  sympathy 
and  spiritual  ministry  than  for  the  goods  of  this  world, 
which  he  was  enabled  to  give. 


120  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

By  degrees  Bishop  Blanc  placed  more  confidence  in 
Father  Rouquette,  gave  into  his  care  various  delicate  mis- 
sions and  trained  him  to  fill  the  responsible  position  of 
Vicar-General. 

The  diocese,  though  much  reduced  in  size  since  Bishop 
Dubourg's  time,  by  the  elevation  of  the  Sees  of  St.  Louis, 
Natchez,  Mobile  and  others,  was  very  large,  and  visitations 
necessitated  frequent  and  long  absences.  Vigilance  and 
prudence  enabled  Father  Rouquette  to  keep  up  the  pros- 
perous and  edifying  conditions  the  good  Bishop  had  worked 
so  hard  to  establish. 

The  Seventh  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore  had  sug- 
gested to  Rome  the  advisability  of  raising  New  Orleans  to 
an  Archdiocese,  with  Bishop  Blanc  as  Metropolitan,  as- 
sisted by  four  Suffragans.  This  was  done  in  1850.  The 
new  Archbishop  had  just  organized  all  affairs  in  the 
Archdiocese,  when  the  General  Council  of  1854  was  con- 
vened in  Rome.  He  then  left  for  the  Eternal  City,  and 
was  one  of  the  few  American  Prelates  present  at  the  defi- 
nition of  the  dogma  of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  He 
was  well  pleased  upon  his  return  to  find  everything  in 
such  good  condition.  During  his  administration  churches 
had  multiplied  from  twenty-six  to  seventy-three  and  clergy- 
men from  twenty-seven  to  ninety-two.  All  else  was  par- 
allel, and  in  the  accomplishment  of  all  this  none  was  more 
eager  to  spend  himself  for  the  Lord  than  Father  Rou- 
quette, and  no  small  portion  of  the  good  effected  was  due 
to  his  initiative  and  good  management.  Thus  time  went 
on  for  fourteen  years,  during  which  Father  Rouquette  as 


POET-MISSIONARY    OF    LOUISIANA.  121 

an  earnest,  zealous  priest  had  been  absorbed  and  happy 
in  his  duties. 

But  the  hour  was  near  when  the  same  Divine  Voice 
that  had  called  him  from  the  world  to  the  Sanctuary,  was 
again  to  speak  to  his  heart,  and  beckon  him  on  further 
and  higher  up  the  holy  mount,  following  closely  in  the 
footprints  of  the  Master. 

It  came  in  the  Spring  of  1859,  and  long  years  after, 
when  in  a  reminiscent  mood,  Father  Rouquette  told  a  tried 
friend  how  God  had  manifested  to  him  his  real  vocation, 
the  life-work  for  which  all  previous  events  had  been  but 
the  preparation.    It  happened  thus : 

Father  Rouquette  was  to  say  a  Low  Mass  at  the 
Cathedral,  and  up  to  the  moment  of  ascending  the  altar 
steps,  had  no  other  thought  than  his  usual  devout  prep- 
aration to  celebrate  the  sacred  mysteries  with  due  atten- 
tion and  fervor. 

The  day  happened  to  be  the  first  Sunday  of  Lent, 
March  13;  and  the  Gospel  relates  that  "Jesus  was  led  by 
the  spirit  into  the  desert." 

How  often  before  had  Adrien  read  those  same  words 
unmoved.  Yet,  to-day,  they  seemed  instinct  with  life,  and 
suggestive  of  so  much  beyond  the  simple  text  that  they 
fascinated  him.  He  read  them  over,  and  on  a  sudden  his 
mind  was  illumined,  his  heart  throbbed  with  emotion, 
while  his  whole  being  seemed  to  go  forth  into  a  region 
distant  yet  familiar. 

He  saw  himself  in  the  midst  of  his  beloved  Choctaws, 
in  a  mission  which  he  thought  he  had  established  in  the 


122  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

very  heart  of  the  Choctaw  hunting-grounds  at  the  head 
springs  of  Bayou  Lacombe.  He  was  standing  in  spirit  at 
the  altar  of  a  woodland  chapel  ready  to  celebrate  the 
Divine  Mysteries,  surrounded  by  his  swarthy  children  of 
the  forest.  He  could  hear  the  chanting  of  the  woodland 
choir,  he  could  inhale  the  fragrance  of  the  wild  flowers 
decking  his  rustic  altar,  and  as  a  sweet  sentiment  of  joy 
and  intense  happiness  pervaded  his  whole  soul,  a  voice  of 
harmony  divine  spoke  these  words:  "Come  into  the  land 
that  I  have  shown  thee  and  say  to  the  dwellers  thereof :  'I 
will  be  your  priest  and  you  shall  be  my  people.' '  In  re- 
sponse, there  could  only  be  an  oblation  complete,  and  un- 
reserved as  it  was,  almost  ecstatic  in  its  exultant  jubila- 
tion. 

Then  the  scene  faded,  and  the  solemnity  of  the  pres- 
ent action  came  back  to  banish  all  other  thoughts,  and  Fa- 
ther Eouquette  went  on  with  the  Mass,  making  heartfelt 
acts  of  contrition  for  having  allowed  his  mind  to  wander 
from  the  august  sacrifice. 

At  the  Offertory  he  was  again  thrilled  by  the  mes- 
sage it  conveyed,  "and  an  assurance  seemed  given  him  that 
God  was  really  calling  him  to  a  new  mission  and  would  be 
his  support."  This  is  what  he  read :  uThe  Lord  will  over- 
shadow thee  with  His  shoulders,  and  under  His  wings 
thou  shalt  trust." 

He  did  not  pause,  but  strove  to  concentrate  all  the 
powers  of  his  soul  upon  the  more  solemn  part  of  the 
Mass.  Soon  he  held  in  his  hands  the  very  Body  of  the 
Master,  whom  he  loved  with  all  the  strength  of  his  nature, 


123 

and  as  be  bowed  an  and  reverently  in  adoration  he 
med  i"  bear:  "Adrien,  if  tli<m  l « . n •  —  i  Me,  go  and  feed 
m\  little  ones,  \l\  nheep  that  are  in  the  desert."  And  with 
burning  >-"iil  he  renewed  lii-  promise,  telling  Christ  in  a 
tender  colloquy  all  bis  love,  .ill  his  longing,  aJI  his  thanks- 
gh  • 

Once re  th<  d  liturgy  \\a-  illnmined  by  divine 

light  to  convey   the  last  inspiration  when  he  read  in  the 
Post  Commnnion :  "Maj  our  partaking  of  Thj  sacramental 

flee,  0  Lord,  imparl  to  as  strength  to  serve  Thee  in 
iM-u  Mrss  of  spirit." 

The  preceding  emotion,  now  increased,  caused  the  tears 
in  stream  from  the  priest's  eyes,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
pause  before  concluding  the  ll"!.\  Sacrifice,  in  order  to 
regain  bis  self  posseBsion. 

When  he  reached  th<  Vestry,  the  server,  thinking 
Father  Rouquette  was  ill,  approached  and  respectfully 
asked  if  he  could  do  anything  t<>  relieve  him.  The  Father 
thanked  him,  but  said,  no,  he  did  not  need  assistance. 
What  be  did  want  waa  solitude  and  leisure  to  meditate 
upon  what  had  transpired  ami  to  dwell  upon  the  rues- 
sage  conveyed  so  Btrangely  to  bis  soul. 

The  sen  i<  •  -  of  the  rest  of  the  <lay  were  performed  as 
by  a  dreamer,  as  by  one  who  has  been  dazed,  and  so  he 
was  in  truth  dazzled  by  the  bright  light  vouchsafed  him 
in  the  morning   sacrifice. 

He  was  not  woi  to  tell  his  inmost  thoughts,  so  this 
new  vocation  was  not  manifested  for  some  time.  He 
wished  to  mak<    -         bis  second  great  election  with  God, 


124  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

and  then  he  intended  revealing  the  secret  to  the  Arch- 
bishop. 

Of  course  he  could  not  banish  from  his  mind  the 
scene  of  the  woodland  chapel,  and  his  Chahta  children,  and 
-his  day  dreams  added  many  a  realistic  detail  of  the  life 
to  come.  He  could  see  the  dancing  sunshine  shimmering 
in  glinting  rays,  as  the  visible  grace  of  the  Great  Spirit 
•descending  upon  the  prostrate  Indians,  when  at  the  close 
of  a  Summer  day,  he  gave  them  the  Benediction  of  the 
Blessed  Sacrament,  Or,  he  pictured  himself  administer- 
ing the  Sacraments  to  the  poor  untutored  children  of  the 
desert,  and  then  such  a  longing  would  come  over  him 
that  he  felt  he  could  fly  at  once  to  embrace  the  labors 
that  so  appealed  to  his  soul. 

Adrien  Rouquette  studied  his  own  past  life,  and  then 
liow  clear  it  all  became  in  the  light  of  this  new-born  grace. 
Why  it  was  all  but  a  preparation  for  this  mission  to  which 
God  was  calling  him,  and  his  final  resolve  was  taken,  for 
he  felt  that  the  time  was  ripe  for  its  fulfilment.  A  few 
days  passed  before  Father  Rouquette  could  summon  the 
courage  to  tell  Archbishop  Blanc,  whom  he  loved  as  a 
father,  of  his  determination.  He  knew  it  would  be  a  great 
blow  to  the  aged  prelate. 

At  last  he  went  and  made  known  to  him  the  call  of 
God,  and  he  dwelt  long  upon  the  remote  preparation  God 
had  provided  to  fit  him  for  an  Apostolate  among  the  Sav- 
ages. 

Archbishop  Blanc  did  not  wish  to  hear  the  project 
•  spoken  of  as  a  divine  mission.     It  was,  he  said,  nothing 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  125 

but  a  day  dream,  and  so  he  opposed  it  strongly.  He  could 
not  see  the  necessity.  He  tenderly  loved  the  ardent  priest, 
and  could  not  resign  himself  to  the  thought  of  losing  him. 

"Ah!"  said  he,  "are  there  not  savages  enough  in  the 
city,  without  going  to  seek  for  them  in  the  forest?  Ah !  my 
dear  Adrien,  this  is  not  what  I  have  dreamed  for  you !  I 
have  loved  you  as  my  son,  and  now  in  my  old  age,  you 
would  leave  me !  Oh !  no,  it  can't  be !    I  cannot  let  you  go !" 

Adrien  was  deeply  pained,  his  soul  was  in  anguish, 
torn  by  conflicting  desires.  He  loved  this  kind  and  gentle 
Superior,  but  he  had  given  his  promise  to  God.  He  told 
the  Archbishop  that  he  would  pray  and  reflect — and  then 
would  return  to  tell  him  his  decision.  Adrien  now  felt 
that  in  his  perplexity  the  wise  counsel  of  a  friend  was 
needed,  and  he  turned  instinctively  to  one  whose  holiness 
inspired  implicit  confidence.  He  wrote  a  full  account  of 
all  that  had  transpired  to  Monseigneur  Odin,  who  from 
Vicar  Apostolic  had  become  Bishop  of  Texas.  The  Bishop 
answered  at  once  and  encouraged  him  to  persevere  in  his 
new  vocation.  "Continue,  my  son,  to  devote  yourself  to 
your  Indians,  and  God  will  bless  you  and  your  work."  So. 
great  was  Adrien's  veneration  for  Monseigneur  Odin  that 
an  adverse  decision  from  him  would  have  probably 
weighed  down  the  rest.  Bishop  Odin  had  been  a  pupil 
and  later  a  companion  of  Mr.  de  Andreis  and  Bishop 
,Rosati.  When  the  Congregation  of  the  Missions  was  es- 
tablished in  the  South,  Mr.  Odin  evangelized  the  States  of 
Mississippi,  Louisiana  and  Texas.  In  the  latter  place  he 
labored  so  strenuously  that  he  deserves  to  be  called,  "The. 
Father  of  the  Church  in  Texas." 


126  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

Adrien  had  seen  the  saintly  apostle  in  1841  as  he 
passed  through  New  Orleans.  He  was  literally  in  rags, 
and  the  generous  Bishop  Blanc,  knowing  well  it  was  be- 
cause he  gave  everything  to  his  flock,  came  to  the  assist- 
ance of  his  poverty-stricken  condition  and  renewed  his 
wardrobe,  notwithstanding  the  holy  man's  supplications. 
So  impressed  was  Bishop  Blanc  with  Mr.  Odin's  sanctity 
and  ability  that  he  proposed  him  first  as  Coadjutor  of 
Detroit,  and  when  he  refused  the  honor,  as  Vicar  Apostolic 
of  Texas.    He  became  Bishop  in  1842. 

New  Orleans  was  happy  to  receive  him  as  Archbishop 
Blanc's  successor.  He  died  at  an  advanced  age  in  his 
native  town  in  France,  and  was  honored  by  the  following 
eulogium :  "Archbishop  Odin  was  a  martyr  by  merit,  with- 
out the  glory  of  martyrdom!*'  Such  was  the  wise  coun- 
sellor chosen  by  Adrien  to  direct  his  decision,  and  once 
Bishop  Odin  had  approved  his  resolution,  all  other  argu- 
ments were  excluded.  Convinced  that  his  work  among 
the  Choctaws  was  awaiting  him,  he  went  again  to  Arch- 
bishop Blanc  and  told  him  that  hesitation  was  no  longer 
possible,  he  felt  certain  that  God  was  calling  him,  and  he 
must  obey. 

Grieved  as  the  Archbishop  was,  he  had  too  much  rev- 
erence for  divine  inspiration  to  oppose  its  effects.  Bless- 
ing his  spiritual  son,  he  bade  him  go  in  God's  name  to  un- 
dertake the  mission  to  which  he  felt  himself  called. 

Adrien  kissed  the  trembling  hand  just  held  over  him 
in  Benediction,  and  silently  and  sadly  left  his  presence  to 
depart  for  his  new  home. 


CHAPTER  XL 

A    HEROIC    PERIOD. 

The  Choctaws,  or  Chahta  Indians,  were  the  fortunate 
people  for  whom  Father  Eouquette  heard  that  special  call 
of  God,  that  invitation  to  devote  the  best  part  of  his  life, 
to  spend  himself  in  order  to  lead  those  children  of  the 
forest  to  their  Heavenly  Father. 

This  tribe  of  savages  had  originally  dwelt  in  the  ter- 
ritory between  the  Tombighee  and  the  Mississippi  Rivers. 
They  were  more  numerous  than  any  other  of  the  Southern 
tribes,  and  powerful  on  account  of  their  number.  By  na- 
ture the  Choctaw  was  brave,  haughty  and  revengeful,  ac- 
tive in  the  chase  and  even  in  agricultural  pursuits,  but 
cunning  and  deceit  were  traits  too  marked  to  allow  the 
whites  or  even  their  Indian  neighbors,  to  place  much  con- 
fidence in  the  words  of  a  Chahta.  In  physical  appearance 
they  were  tall,  raw-boned,  and  had  the  foreheads  flattened 
by  the  custom  of  binding  bags  of  sand  on  the  foreheads 
of  children. 

As  soon  as  Georgia  and  Alabama  became  well  settled 
the  white  race  began  that  sad  system  of  defrauding  the 
poor  Indian  of  his  land  and  home;  till  finally  by  a  gen- 
eral act  of  (one  might  say)  confiscation,  the  greater  part 
of  their  territory  was  taken  or  exchanged,  and  the  owners 
transferred  to  Indian  Territory.  The  Choctaws  of  Louis- 
iana clung  to  that  region  in  St.  Tammany,  where  they  had 


128  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

dwelt  from  time  immemorial,  and  in  like  manner  the  At- 
takapas  remained  in  the  Teche  country.  These  latter 
Indians  were  once  cannibals,  as  their  name  signifies,  mean- 
ing, "man-eater."  Of  all  the  Southern  tribes,  none  wove 
baskets  with  the  artistic  taste  of  the  Attakapas. 

Like  the  Natchez  Indians,  the  Choctaws  held  chief- 
tainship by  right  of  birth,  but  the  descent  was  in  the  fe- 
male line.  For  instance,  the  son  of  a  chief  could  not  suc- 
ceed his  father,  the  latter  must  be  replaced  by  the  son  of 
his  sister  or  nearest  female  relative. 

Most  of  these  tribes  worshipped  the  sun  and  called 
their  chief  "the  Great  Sun,"  while  to  his  council  was  given 
the  appellation  of  "Little  Suns."  Otherwise  their  relig- 
ious ideas  were  vague  and  undefined. 

This  gives  us  a  faint  idea  of  the  people  for  whom 
Father  Kouquette  was  to  work  and  pray  and  whose  deep- 
est affection  he  was  to  win. 

When  the  would-be  missionary  left  Archbishop  Blanc, 
all  was  decided  and  he  longed  to  depart  at  once,  but  the 
Lenten  services,  Holy  Week  and  all  the  Springtide  festi- 
vals, besides  the  arrangement  of  matters  connected  with 
the  diocese  had  all  to  be  thought  of,  prepared  and  settled 
before  he  would  bid  farewell  to  civilization.  This  kept  him 
in  town  till  the  close  of  August,  though  allowing  a  few 
brief  visits  to  Bayou  Lacombe  and  the  vicinity,  to  seek 
the  various  chiefs  and  confer  with  them  as  to  the  most  fa- 
vorable localities  for  establishing  missions. 

At  last  on  September  8th,  under  the  auspices  of  Our 
Blessed  Lady's  Nativity,   Father  Rouquette   opened   his 


POET-MISSIONAKY     OF     LOUISIANA.  129 

first  mission,  gathering  around  him  for  the  first  time  his 
Chahta  children  at  the  Ravine  des  Cannes.  This  founda- 
tion was  placed  under  the  patronage  of  his  favorite  Indian 
Saint,  the  Blessed  (or  Venerable)  Catherine  Tegahwitha. 
Few  knew  better  than  the  missionary  what  superstitions 
had  to  be  uprooted,  what  soil  had  to  be  cultivated  before 
Christian  virtues  could  be  planted.  Belief  in  the  Divin- 
ity, the  wonderful  truth  of  the  Incarnation,  reward  and 
punishment  in  the  next  world,  were  preliminaries,  if  one 
dare  so  speak,  to  the  culture  of  Christian  peace,  charity, 
temperance  and  morality;  the  very  points  on  which  the 
Indian  character  was  fatally  weak.  Father  Rouquette  suc- 
ceeded beyond  his  fondest  hopes.  If  the  vast  congrega- 
tions at  the  St.  Louis  Cathedral  had  seemed  like  some  great 
lyre  whose  strings  the  impassioned  orator  had  swept  with 
a  master  hand,  what  shall  be  said  of  his  influence  over  the 
children  of  the  forest,  so  much  more  powerful  and  virile! 

What  was  the  secret,  the  magic  talisman  by  which 
he  moulded  anew  the  hearts  of  this  primitive  race?  He 
became  as  St.  Paul,  "all  things  to  all  men,"  and  he  gained 
all  to  Christ.  He  adopted  the  Indian  dress  and  mode  of 
life  except  when  appearing  in  his  priestly  character,  for 
then  he  always  wore  his  black  soutane,  otherwise  a  casual 
observer  could  hardly  have  recognized  in  him  a  white 
man. 

His  long  black  hair,  flowing  upon  his  shoulders,  his 
strong,  stern  features,  with  an  aquiline  cast,  his  skin 
bronzed  by  exposure  to  the  weather,  his  tall  muscular 
form  wrapped  in  a  blanket,  with  bare  feet  and  in  the  mild 


130  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

season  wearing  no  covering  on  his  head,  he  made  a  pic- 
ture, once  seen,  never  to  be  forgotten.  There  was  a 
spiritual  expression  on  his  countenance  that  reminded 
one  of  a  higher  life,  a  nobler  destiny,  suggesting  that 
such  might  be  the  reflection  of  an  angel's  face. 

Those  early  days  of  Father  Rouquette's  mission  were 
full  of  toil  and  hardship.  Tradition  for  many  years  has 
pointed  out  an  old  oak  of  giant  dimensions  which  long 
served  the  missionary  as  a  place  of  shelter  in  its  hollow 
trunk. 

Besides  the  station  at  the  Ravine  aux  Cannes,  half- 
way between  Mandeville  and  Bayou  Lacombe  he  erected 
a  church  at  Hachunchuba,  or  Alligator  Bayou,  now 
known  as  Kildara,  or  the  Cabin  of  the  Oak.  Still  an- 
other was  built  with  a  dwelling  nearby,  on  Bayou  La- 
combe, when  the  chapel  of  Buehuwa  was  destroyed.  The 
Bayou  Lacombe  mission  Father  Rouquette  loved  best  of 
all,  calling  it  the  "nook,"  and  this  spot  he  called  home. 

These  were  the  fruits  of  the  years  1859  to  1861,  and 
after-events  proved  that  God  had  very  abundantly  blessed 
the  zealous  priest's  labors,  for  notwithstanding  the  ter- 
rible devastation  caused  by  the  war,  no  sooner  had  the 
dear  "Black  Robe"  returned  to  the  "nook"  than  his  faithful 
Indians  flocked  once  more  to  join  the  shepherd's  fold. 

In  1861  Louisiana  seceded  from  the  Union  and  joined 
the  Confederacy  under  the  Presidency  of  Jefferson  Davis. 

In  New  Orleans,  from  the  beginning  of  hostilities, 
business  was  put  aside  and  all  who  could,  and  some  who 
should  not,  joined  the  army  at  Richmond.     This  left  the 


OAK    TREE. 


ANOTHER   TREE. 


PINE   TREKS. 


POET-MISSIONABY     OF     LOUISIANA.  131 

city  very  few  to  defend  it  in  the  event  of  an  attack.  Only 
in  1862  did  the  Federals  threaten  the  Crescent  City.  Their 
main  object  was  to  obtain  possession  of  the  waterway,  and 
cut  off  supplies  from  the  Southerners. 

On  April  25th  Farragut  passed  the  forts  and  anchored 
before  the  city.  The  authorities  well  knew  that  resistance 
was  useless,  so  employed  the  time  before  capitulation  in 
destroying  the  stores  of  cotton,  sugar  and  molasses  laid 
up  in  the  warehouses. 

The  cotton  was  set  on  fire,  the  sugar  barrels  burst 
open  and  scattered  broadcast,  much  of  it  burned  with  the 
cotton,  and  the  molasses  was  allowed  to  run  into  the  gut- 
ters. The  only  ones  who  enjoyed  this  state  of  affairs  were 
the  little  black  pickaninnies,  who  revelled  in  the  flood  of 
sweets. 

Meanwhile  the  poor  inhabitants  were  beside  them- 
selves for  fear  of  a  bombardment,  which  did  not  occur. 
The  troops  withdrew  from  the  city  before  the  Federals 
entered — and  thus  the  conquest  was  peaceable. 

Farragut's  first  order  was  to  lower  the  Confederate 
flag  from  public  buildings  and  raise  in  its  place  the  Stars 
and  Stripes. 

May  1,  1862,  General  Butler  was  given  command. 
The  news  of  his  actions  in  New  Orleans  soon  spread  to 
Baton  Rouge,  and  when  the  gun-boats  appeared  before 
that  city,  the  people,  alarmed  lest  they  be  treated  as  those 
of  New  Orleans,  hastily  secreted  their  valuables.  Many 
a  silver  service  lay  hidden  in  the  depths  of  a  well  till  trou- 
bled times  were  over. 


132  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

The  Northern  soldiers  roved  all  around  the  environs 
of  New  Orleans  and  helped  themselves  to  horses  and  other 
supplies,  as  required.  This  terrified  the  Indians,  and  they 
fled  far  back  into  the  swamps  where  they  knew  there  was 
not  the  slightest  danger  that  the  soldiers  would  follow. 
They  left  their  homes,  their  ungathered  crops,  all  their 
worldly  possessions  that  could  not  be  carried  away  in  the 
huge  bundles  with  which  they  were  laden.  So  the  Choc- 
taws  decamped,  leaving  behind  the  smiling  home  of  peace 
and  plenty  to  seek  refuge  in  the  swamp  where  the  rattle- 
snake lay  hid  and  where  the  very  atmosphere  was  poi- 
soned by  the  miasma  rising  from  stagnant  water  and  de- 
caying vegetable  matter — a  poison  that  soon  penetrates 
to  the  very  marrow  of  the  bone,  and  laid  prostrate  num- 
berless victims. 

Sickness,  misery,  deprivations  were  but  beginning  a 
long  and  painful  reign. 

Fortunately  there  was  one  soul  of  heroic  mould  sent 
by  the  Providence  of  God,  to  accompany,  to  protect,  to 
solace,  to  comfort  the  wanderers  in  their  dreary  exile. 
Chahta-Ima,  as  the  Indians  called  Father  Eouquette,  Avas 
as  a  father  in  the  midst  of  his  children.  He  did  every- 
thing for  them,  even  nursing  with  tenderest  care  those 
stricken  by  illness,  rendering  the  most  menial  services  and 
never  seeming  to  be  himself  even  capable  of  feeling  fatigue 
and  suffering.  The  food  was  scant,  the  water  impure, 
clothing  reduced  to  rags — making  the  camp  an  abode  of 
misery. 

All  through  the  parching  heat  of  Summer,  drenched 


POET-MISSIONABY     OF     LOUISIANA.  133 

and  chilled  in  the  Fall  and  Winter  storms  and  cold,  the 
indefatigable  missionary  went  back  and  forth  between  the 
city  and  the  camp  of  his  poor  savages,  carrying  drugs, 
pieces  of  cloth  and  the  food  he  could  manage  to  procure. 

Many  a  hair-breadth  escape  he  had  in  approaching 
and  leaving  the  enemies'  lines.  Once  he  was  apprehended 
as  a  spy,  but  succeeded  in  obtaining  not  only  liberty  for 
himself  but  donations  of  food  and  medicine  for  his  Indian 
proteges. 

Who  can  describe  the  weary  journeys,  the  painful 
vigils,  in  the  midst  of  inclement  weather,  when,  poorly 
nourished  and  scantily  clad,  the  heroic  pastor  struggled 
on,  mile  after  mile,  through  the  rough  canebrake  and 
thorny  undergrowth  of  our  Louisiana  swamp,  bearing  the 
heavy  burden  of  articles  for  his  afflicted  children  in  the 
swamp?  This  certainly  testifies  to  great  self-abnegation, 
self-sacrifice  and  immolation  in  close  imitation  of  the 
Master,  who  said,  "Greater  love  than  this  hath  no  man, 
that  he  should  lay  down  his  life  for  his  brethren." 

But  even  the  worst  things  come  to  an  end  in  this 
world,  and  after  a  long  period  of  suffering,  during  which 
Father  Rouquette  strained  every  nerve  to  keep  his  flock 
together  and  to  lay  ever  more  deeply  the  foundation  of 
their  religious  belief  and  practice,  the  happy  day  at  last 
dawned  when  the  war  was  over  and  he  could  gather  his 
Indians  once  more  around  him  in  the  quiet,  shadows  of 
the  "Nook." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

"They  went  forth  sowing  in  tears,  but  they 
returned  reaping  the  harvest  with  joy." — Psalms. 

Who  would  have  thought,  during  the  gloomy  period 
of  1862-63  and  '64,  which  witnessed  such  dire  distress 
throughout  the  Southland,  that  so  soon  after  the  declara- 
tion of  peace  the  mission  of  the  Choctaws  would  ex- 
perience a  wondrous  resurrection!  Yet  so  it  was.  Events 
hastened  on,  and  before  even  the  good  priest  could  realize 
it  he  was  again  settled  down  in  his  humble  little  chapel 
home,  with  his  beloved  Chahta  children  building  their 
own  reed  cabins  near  by  the  black-robe's  dwelling,  each 
vying  with  his  neighbor  to  supply  the  necessities  of  life 
while  he  labored  for  the  regeneration  of  their  souls,  and  at 
the  same  time  lent  them  the  protection  of  his  position  and 
authority. 

Perhaps  during  the  entire  period  of  his  residence  in 
the  Choctaw  forest  no  more  pleasing  occurrence  had 
broken  the  monotony,  if  such  existed,  and  surely  bright- 
ened Father  Rouquette's  life,  than  the  visit  of  Father 
Chocarne,  the  eminent  Dominican,  already  made  famous 
by  his  able  and  charming  life  of  the  great  Lacordaire. 

A  few  words  regarding  this  illustrious  visitor  to  the 
"Pays  des  Chactas"  cannot  be  amiss,  since  he  has  con- 
tributed in  the  following  letter  so  true  a  picture  of  Adrien 
Rouquette's  mission. 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  135 

Pierre  Alphonse  Chocarne  was  born  at  Dijon,  April 
4,  1826.  His  parents  destined  him  for  a  commercial  career, 
but  God  designed  a  more  glorious  life-work,  and  he  en- 
tered the  seminary  and  received  minor  orders.  Lacordaire 
came  to  Dijon  and  gave  a  series  of  conferences.  The 
young  Abbe  Chocarne  was  captivated  by  the  marvellous 
eloquence  of  the  saintly  Dominican,  and  entered  the 
Order's  novitiate  in  Flavigny,  October  7.  1849,  taking  the 
name  of  Brother  Bernard. 

The  next  year  he  was  ordained,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-nine  became  Superior  of  the  monastery  at 
Toulouse,  and  later  Master  of  Novices  at  St.  Maximin. 
In  1861,  Lacordaire  died  and  Father  Chocarne  undertook 
as  a  work  of  love,  to  write  the  "Interior  Life"  of  the  great 
orator.  We  know  how  well  he  succeeded  and  how  wonder- 
ful has  been  the  effect  of  this  work.  Various  troubles 
caused  Father  Chocarne  to  resign  the  position  of  Prior  in 
Bordeaux,  and,  obtaining  permission  to  visit  America,  he 
sailed  from  Liverpool  September  5,  1866. 

America  won  his  affection  from  the  start,  and,  above 
all  else,  he  admired  the  liberty  enjoyed  by  the  Church. 
Father  Chocarne  began  at  once  the  pleasing  task  of  pre- 
paring himself  for  pulpit  oratory,  and,  had  not  prudent 
friends  intervened,  was  on  the  point  of  entering  a  very 
heated  field  of  debate.  His  whole  heart,  and  talent  were 
aroused  by  the  slavery  question  which,  though  now  settled 
by  force  of  arms,  still  stirred  up  animosity  on  both  sides. 
Father  Chocarne  just  longed  to  fling  himself  headlong  into 
the  opposition  party  and  preach  with  all  the  fervor  of  his 


136  LIFE     OF    THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

French  enthusiasm  against  an  institution  established  for 
the  barter  of  human  beings.  Happily,  the  wisdom  of  his 
counsellors  prevailed  and  Father  Chocarne  relinquished 
his  plan. 

Some  months  later  found  him  in  New  Orleans,  and  he 
had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  the  Apostle  of  the  Choctaws. 
Here  was  a  subject  quite  as  interesting  as  the  slave  ques- 
tion, and  the  Dominican  never  tired  asking  information 
regarding  the  Indians.  Father  Rouquette  invited  him  to 
pay  a  visit  to  the  savages  in  their  forest  home — a  privilege 
most  cordially  accepted.  A  letter  sent  to  France  describing 
this  visit  tells  the  story  so  well  that  it  would  be  a  loss  not 
to  give  at  least  a  good  extract : 

"I  promised  you  an  account  of  my  visit  to  the  home  of 
the  Choctaw  Indians,  so  to-day  I  come  to  redeem  my  word. 
You  remember  my  description  of  the  passage  across  Lake 
Pontchartrain,  from  New  Orleans  to  Mandeville,  which 
nestled  near  the  border  of  the  lake  with  the  neighboring 
villas  and  charming  Summer  residences  stretching  along 
the  shore  on  either  side.  Then  came  the  fury  of  a  tropical 
storm,  succeeded  by  a  magnificent  sunset  in  the  midst  of 
clouds  of  gold  and  fire  seen  beyond  the  giant  trees  in  garbs 
of  green,  now  bathed  in  light  and  illumined,  as  it  were,  by 
an  immense  Bengal  flame  that  gave  the  sparkling  and  scin- 
tillating raindrops,  still  trembling  on  the  leaves,  the  as- 
pect of  a  veritable  shower  of  pearls  and  diamonds.  This 
was  May  17th.  The  next  day  I  left  Mandeville  for  Bon- 
fouca,  accompanied  by  the  priest,  a  former  Italian  Domin- 


POET-MISSIONABY     OF     LOUISIANA.  137 

ican,  set  adrift  by  the  troubles  of  his  native  land,  and  now 
in  charge  of  the  three  or  four  surrounding  parishes. 

"On  Sunday  I  preached  in  the  Church  of  Bonfouca, 
and  then  pressed  forward  into  the  forest,  into  the  region 
where  the  Chahta  Indians  dwell. 

"From  Mandeville  to  Bonfouca  requires  about  three 
hours'  drive  in  a  carriage,  and  as  one  leaves  the  little  town 
by  a  grand  avenue  going  straight  into  the  woods,  it  is  easy 
to  fancy  oneself  in  some  magnificent  park.    How  I  enjoyed 
the  pure  perfumed  air  of  the  forest,  and  admired  the  mag- 
nificence of  Nature!    At  the  end  of  this  avenue  the  scene 
changes.  Then  one  enters  a  vault  of  Gothic  arches,  formed 
by  the  tall  pines  whose  shade  gives  a  sense  of  solemn  mys- 
tery to  the  silent  solitudes.    There  is  no  undergrowth  to  be 
seen  now,  and  no  other  fragrant  odor  than  the  healthful 
resinous  perfume  which  is  exhaled    by    a    silvery  liquid 
which  exudes  in  large  tears  from  the  trunk  of  the  tree. 
One  has  a  fine  view,  and  can  see  far  in  the  distance  grazing 
herds  which  the  neighing  of  a  horse  will  send  galloping 
away.     These  seem  to  be  the  sole  inhabitants  of  this  en- 
chanting forest.    We  soon  perceived  that  this  was  not  the 
case,  for  a  savage  was  approaching,  his  gun  on  his  shoul- 
der, the  hunting  dogs  preceding  him,  his  feet  bare,  his  body 
unclothed  except  for  a  pair  of  short  trousers,  and  a  white 
band  on  his  forehead  to  prevent  his  long  hair  from  blowing 
over  his  face.    He  passed  us  without  deigning  to  raise  his 
eyes,  while  I  almost  sent  mine  out  of  their  sockets  in  my 
endeavor  to  take  in  every  detail  of  his  form  and  figure.  This 
was  my  first  glimpse  of  a  bona  fide  Indian.    In  this  prim- 
itive attire,  with  a  step  firm  and  proud,  with  a  wild  free- 


138  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

dom  expressed  in  every  movement,  beneath  the  shades  of 
the  lofty  pines,  a  place  which  seemed  his  own  domain,  he 
bore  no  resemblance  to  the  Indians  I  had  seen  in  the  city, 
squatting  on  the  pavement  of  the  old  French  Market,  ex- 
hibiting their  wares  for  sale.  These  wore  a  sad,  timid,  em- 
barrassed expression  as  though  they  felt  themselves  out  of 
their  sphere.  Before  noon  we  arrived  at  Bonfouca.  'And 
what  is  Bonfouca?'  you  may  ask.  'Is  it  a  village?'  No,  it 
is  simply  a  church,  a  charming  little  wooden  structure  on 
the  border  of  the  Bayou,  and  just  beside  the  church  is  a 
tiny  house  for  the  priest,  surrounded  by  a  garden,  and  fur- 
ther on,  as  a  background,  the  great  forest. 

"Then  we  dined,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  a  little 
excursion  up  the  Bayou  in  a  pirogue.  It  was  delightful! 
My  two  oarsmen  sent  the  little  boat  swiftly  and  silently 
amidst  the  white  and  yellow  blossoms  which  open  at  dawn 
and  close  their  sleepy  eyes  as  the  sun  goes  down.  From 
time  to  time  an  alligator  raised  his  ugly  head  above  the 
water,  showing  a  double  row  of  vicious-looking  teeth,  and 
then  plunged  to  the  bottom  when  he  perceived  our  prox- 
imity. 

"Along  the  banks  of  the  Bayou,  separated  from  one 
another,  at  a  considerable  distance  by  vast  fields  of  cane 
and  Indian  corn,  by  forests  of  great  oaks  and  other  trees, 
are  the  dwellings  of  the  planters.  From  time  to  time  a 
white  sail  brought  toward  us  a  little  fishing  smack  en- 
route  for  the  great  city. 

"We  spent  thus  two  hours  in  the  midst  of  these  wild 
and  picturesque  scenes.  Then  I  landed  and  pushed  for- 
ward, alone,  into  the  interior.    There  was  no  sound  of  hu- 


POET-MISSIONABY     OF     LOUISIANA.  139 

man  voice,  no  sign  of  rural  labors.  I  seemed  to  be  in  a 
solitary  forest  where  man  had  never  before  penetratd. 
Birds  of  a  thousand  colors,  every  shade  and  hue,  of  red, 
blue,  brown  and  yellow,  looked  at  me  with  an  air  of  sur- 
prise, but  with  so  little  fear  that  I  could  almost  touch 
them  ere  they  stirred.  How  naturally  does  the  soul  rise  to 
God  when  one  is  thus  alone  in  the  presence  of  the  wonders 
of  His  creation!  I  stopped  once  to  admire  a  giant  oak 
whose  foliage  measured  full  200  feet  in  diameter,  while  its 
hollow  trunk  could  have  sheltered  an  entire  family.  Then 
I  wended  my  way  back  and,  entering  my  canoe,  returned 
to  Bonfouca. 

"The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  a  festival  for  the 
church  of  Bonfouca.  How  different  was  the  aspect! 
Crowds  came  from  the  vicinity  apparently  so  desert-like. 
All  ranks  of  society  were  ithere  assembled,  white  and 
black  and  yet  I  missed  the  very  people  I  had  come  to  seek, 
the  dear  savages.  They  simply  will  not  mingle  with  the 
whites,  not  from  timidity,  but  from  native  pride.  Not  so 
the  negro.  He  wishes  nothing  better  than  appearing  in 
company  with  his  erstwhile  master,  but  his  presence  is  not 
accepted  socially,  while  the  Indian  refuses  all  invitations 
to  sociable  intercourse.  To  see  the  Indian,  therefore,  I 
had  to  go  to  the  very  heart  of  the  forest. 

"Early  Monday  morning  I  began  an  excursion  in 
search  of  my  friend,  the  Abbe  Rouquette,  the  Apostle  of 
the  Choctaws  in  Louisiana.  I  had  made  his  acquaintance 
in  New  Orleans,  and  he  was  awaiting  my  arrival  at  his 
hermitage  in  order  to  present  me  to  his  parishioners. 


140  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

"What  an  excellent  man!  What  a  good  and  noble 
heart  has  Adrien  Rouquette.  He  is  a  Creole  of  Louisiana, 
belonging  to  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  New  Orleans. 
He  made  most  of  his  studies  in  France  and  possesses  a 
cultivated  mind,  an  elevated  intellect,  a  generous  soul 
filled  with  the  double  love  of  his  God  and  his  country.  As 
a  priest,  his  burning  eloquence  drew  the  entire  population 
of  New  Orleans,  and  as  a  renowned  orator  his  reputation 
was  widespread  and  well  merited.  Archbishop  Blanc, 
predecessor  of  Archbishop  Odin,  made  Father  Rouquette 
his  Vicar-General,  and  even  dreamed  of  a  still  more  ex- 
alted dignity  for  his  favorite,  when  a  decided  vocation  for 
solitude  and  a  special  attraction  to  devote  himself  to  the 
conversion  of  the  Indians,  made  him  a  recluse  and  a  true 
missionary.  He  knew  the  language  of  the  Choctaws  and 
he  went  to  dwell  in  their  midst,  built  a  church  and  gave 
his  time  to  their  instruction. 

"The  beginnings  were  painful,  for  the  Indian  does 
not  yield  readily.  To  his  native  pride  is  joined  a  want  of 
confidence  in  the  white  race,  unfortunately  well-founded 
in  many  instances.  At  first  the  savages  regarded  Father 
Rouquette  as  a  government  spy,  so  they  watched  his  every 
movement,  placed  no  reliance  in  his  promises  and  waited 
proofs  in  actions,  more  persuasive  than  words.  Later, 
when  his  entire  devotedness  showed  how  worthy  he  was 
of  their  affection  and  reverence,  they  themselves  told  him 
of  the  mysterious,  hidden  vigilance  with  which  they  had 
guarded  his  every  movement  at  all  times.  'When  you 
wandered  alone  in  the  depths  of  the  forest,'  they  said, 


POET-MISSIONAEY     OF     LOUISIANA.  141 

'reading  in  your  book  of  prayers ;  or  when,  retired  to  some 
hidden  nook  on  the  bayou  for  a  bath  in  the  deep  still  wa- 
ters, our  eye  was  ever  upon  you,  we  never  for  an  instant 
lost  sight  of  you,  either  day  or  night.'  Alone  or  in  public 
the  Indians  found  the  Black  Robe  the  same,  the  priest  of 
God,  and  they  gave  him  their  respect  and  veneration. 
And  now,  how  he  loves  his  Chahta  children,  and  how,  in 
turn,  he  is  beloved  by  them !  He  knew  that  it  was  a  festa 
for  me  to  visit  his  mission,  so  he  rejoiced  almost  as  much 
as  I  did.  But  now,  let  me  return  to  my  departure  from 
Bonfouca.  The  good  priest  gave  me  his  carriage,  secured 
a  guide,  and  I  started  for  Bayou  Lacombe,  where  my  dear 
Abbe  Rouquette  had  his  dwelling.  About  an  hour's  drive 
through  the  pine  forest  brought  me  to  the  Bayou.  I  then 
sent  back  the  carriage  and  guide,  and  crossing  the  rather 
wide  stream  in  a  pirogue,  took  a  beaten  path  that  seemed 
to  invite  me  to  unknown  solitudes.  A  walk  of  ten  minutes 
showed  me  the  hermitage,  and  before  I  could  realize  it,  the 
'Black  Robe,'  with  a  cordial  welcome,  was  almost  re' 
proaching  me  for  having  so  long  delayed  my  visit. 

"The  term  Black  Robe  is  not  a  mere  figure  of  speech 
here  for  the  'Father  of  the  Chahtas'  or  'Chahta-Ima,'  al- 
ways wears  the  long  black  soutane  when  in  the  midst  of 
the  savages. 

"Adrien  Rouquette  is  a  tall,  well-made  man,  his  long 
black  hair  falls  in  ringlets  on  his  shoulders,  framing  a 
countenance  sweet,  gentle,  and  noble.  Large,  brilliant, 
keen  dark  eyes  illumine  features  at  once  fine  and  distin- 
guished, responding  quickly  with  keenest  sympathy.     He 


142  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

is  one  of  those  figures  so  appealing  to  an  artist  where  every 
emotion,  every  expression  lives,  speaks  and  attracts.  Such 
is  my  dear  Abbe  Rouquette,  whom  I  love  with  all  my 
heart. 

"And  what  shall  I  say  of  the  hermitage?  You  would 
have  to  see  it  to  form  an  idea.  There  is  nothing  borrowed, 
no  attempt  to  seek  the  picturesque,  nothing  grandiose. 
All  of  its  poetry  is  in  the  simplicity  and  poverty  of  the 
little  wooden  chapel  surrounded  by  the  charm  of  solitude, 
in  this  magnificent  forest.  This  is  not  the  first  chapel 
that  Father  Rouquette  built  in  the  midst  of  an  Indian 
village.  The  war  came,  dispersed  the  Choctaws,  burnt 
their  wigwams  and  confiscated  their  crops  and  herds.  One 
little  church  still  exists,  but,  empty  robbed  of  all  it  con- 
tained, and  now  stands  a  desolate  ruin. 

"At  the  close  of  the  war  the  Indians  came  hither  and 
grouped  their  dwellings  about  the  Black  Robe's  home, 
knowing  that  near  him  they  will  have  protection,  assist- 
ance and  the  affectionate  care  of  a  father. 

"The  home  of  Father  Rouquette,  which  serves  also  as 
a  chapel,  is  a  sort  of  chalet  in  wood,  a  square  building 
surrounded  by  a  gallery.  The  chapel  occupies  the  main 
part  of  the  first  floor  and  the  gallery  serves  as  a  sort  of 
vestibule.  The  chapel  is  adorned  with  engravings,  por- 
traits of  hermits,  Dominican  saints,  among  whom  is  St. 
Rose,  for  Father  Rouquette  is  tenderly  attached  to  the 
Order  of  St.  Dominic.  He  even  offered  himself  once  to 
Father  Lacordiare  to  enter  our  Order,  with  the  intention 
of  bringing  a  branch  of  the  old  tree  to  plant  in  the  soil  of 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  143 

Louisiana.  But  Father  Lacordaire  thought  the  plan  pre- 
mature, and  while  dissuading  him  from  its  accomplish- 
ment, encouraged  him  to  persevere  in  the  life  of  devoted- 
ness  he  had  undertaken  for  the  Indians.  Which  he  did, 
and  now  I,  a  son  of  Father  Lacordaire,  have  been  priv- 
ileged to  visit  the  mission. 

"The  semi-twilight,  the  silence,  the  solitude,  all,  dis- 
pose the  soul  for  prayer  and  render  the  presence  of  God 
sensible.  But  mid-day  came,  and  my  morning  excursion 
had  whetted  my  appetite.  But,  Oh !  how  my  illusions  van- 
ished! Instead  of  the  hermit's  meal  of  cold  water,  nuts 
and  dried  figs,  under  the  shade  of  a  tree,  I  found  a  table 
laden  with  all  the  delicacies  of  civilization.  What  fairy 
wand  had  created  this  feast  worthy  of  a  prince?  It  was 
all  explained  when  the  good  Abbe  introduced  to  me  his 
brother,  Mr.  Felix  Kouquette,  who  lives  near  by,  and  who, 
hospitable  and  generous,  as  are  all  these  Creole  planters, 
had  ordered  the  repast  for  his  brother's  guest.  But  I  was 
impatient  to  be  off  to  visit  the  Indians,  and  my  host  en- 
joyed the  fervor  of  my  anticipation.  After  dinner  he  took 
his  stick  and  we  set  out.  Now,  there  are  no  paths  to  be- 
tray the  presence  of  the  Indians'  wigwams,  so  to  me  we 
seemed  to  wander  aimlessly.  Soon  the  bark  of  a  dog  an- 
nounced that  we  were  perceived,  and  in  a  few  moments 
we  reached  a  fence,  enclosing,  here  a  garden,  there  a  pas- 
ture. Three  Choctaw  women  were  seated  on  the  ground. 
They  did  not  rise,  scarcely  deigned  to  look  up,  and  con- 
tinued their  work.  My  presence  intimidated  them,  and  it 
was  in  vain  that  the  Abbe  tried  to  draw  them  into  conver- 


144  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

sation.  The  elder  woman,  evidently  the  mother,  was 
making  a  scarlet  garment,  one  of  her  daughters  was  weav- 
ing a  basket,  the  other  was  parching  coffee.  The  Mongol 
type  is  readily  recognized.  The  Choctaw  has  the  slightly 
flattened  nose,  the  almond  shaped  eye,  and  the  thick  lips, 
while  the  color  is  a  copper  red. 

'" Father  Rouquette  said  a  few  words  in  Choctaw  re- 
garding my  presence,  and  they  asked  if  I  came  from  beyond 
the  great  lake,  raising  for  an  instant  their  large  timid 
eyes  to  look  at  me,  then  bending  them  at  once  upon  their 
work.  The  men  were  away  hunting,  and  the  women  were 
sorry  not  to  have  some  game  to  offer  their  Father  on  the 
occasion  of  this  visit  of  the  white  man. 

"Near  by  was  the  cone-shaped  wigwam  made  of  cane 
reed  and  branches.  Within  were  hung  the  arms  and  uten- 
sils, the  guns  and  hunting  kives  were  all  modern.  I  looked 
in  vain  for  bows  and  arrows,  tomahawks  and  feather  dec- 
orations. On  the  ground  were  mats  and  blankets.  This 
was  all.  Near  the  cabin  was  a  little  fire  with  a  kettle  hung 
over  it,  and  further  away  a  few  chickens  and  the  dog  com- 
pleted the  inventory  of  this  humble  home. 

"They  envy  us  not,  ask  nothing  of  us  but  the  liberty 
to  live  after  their  own  customs,  with  the  forest  for  their 
hunting  grounds,  the  solitude — their  independence.  The 
Choctaw  has  preserved  many  natural  good  qualities ;  aside 
from  love  of  drink,  which  he  has  learned  from  the  whites, 
he  is  sober,  of  pure  morals,  hospitable  and  generous.  He 
is  happier  in  giving  than  in  receiving. 

"Every  violation  of  morals  is  severely  punished,  and 


POET-MISSIONAKY     OF     LOUISIANA.  145 

now  rarely  occurs.  One  of  the  principal  punishments  is 
to  cut  the  hair,  which  is  for  both  men  and  women  a  public 
dishonor  and  humiliation. 

"When  we  reached  home,  we  found  two  young  Choc- 
taws  leaning  on  their  guns,  waiting  to  offer  a  large  turtle 
and  four  squirrels.  The  dress  of  these  men  was  similar  to 
the  one  seen  in  the  forest  the  previous  day,  except  that 
these  wore  a  sort  of  white  tunic.  These  men  were  short  in 
stature,  well  formed,  with  broad  shoulders  and  well- 
developed  muscles.  Their  skin  was  a  dark  bronze.  They 
were  really  splendid  types  of  energy  and  savage  pride. 

"They  received  us  with  a  smile,  seemed  happy  to  hear 
our  exclamations  of  welcome,  then  they  received  some 
remnants  left  from  our  dinner  and  departed  well  satisfied. 
As  the  shadows  of  the  night  began  to  close  in  around  us, 
Father  Rouquette  conducted  me  to  my  cell,  a  tiny  cabin 
five  or  six  feet  square,  with  a  little  couch,  a  mosquito  bar, 
a  table  and  a  chair.  In  all  my  life  I  never  spent  such  a 
happy  night,  I  saw  the  shadow  of  the  trees  draw  closer 
and  closer  their  curtains  of  darkness,  then  I  could  no 
longer  distinguish  their  variety,  and  soon  the  fireflies 
began  their  dazzling  dance  above  and  all  around  my  little 
dwelling.  The  heavens  were  unclouded,  a  light  breeze 
freshened  the  atmosphere,  and,  playing  in  the  branches  of 
the  trees,  produced  a  sweet  and  yet  fantastic  harmony. 

"My  enthusiasm  is  difficult  to  arouse,  but  that  night  I 
became  a  poet,  I  think,  as  I  walked  back  and  forth,  ine- 
briated by  the  enchantment  of  the  solitude.  I  spoke  to 
God  in  the  depths  of  my  soul,  I  sang  in  a  low  voice  hymns 


146  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

of  love  and  praise  and  gratitude,  I  prayed  to  the  Virgin 
Mother  and  to  all  the  saints  in  Paradise.  I  prayed  for 
all,  for  France,  my  mother,  my  brother,  my  sister,  my 
brothers  in  religion,  my  friends  beyond  the  seas — for 
America,  for  the  Indians,  in  a  word  for  all. 

"Next  morning  I  rose  early,  said  my  Mass,  and  telling 
my  good  Abbe  Rouquette  how  happy  and  grateful  I  was 
for  his  cordial  hospitality,  I  turned  my  steps  again — to- 
ward the  haunts  of  civilization." 

No  words  could  better  describe  the  mission  of  Father 
Rouquette  than  this  letter  of  Father  Chocarne.  It  shows 
in  a  most  vivid  pen-picture  the  work  accomplished,  both 
before  and  after  the  war,  and  may  we  not  add,  during  the 
war — a  work  so  enduring  that  the  exile,  privations  and 
sufferings  of  those  years  of  strife  had  obliterated  none  of 
the  teachings,  none  of  the  truths  of  Faith  from  the  poor 
Indians'  souls.  Christ's  message  to  these  children  of  the 
forest  had  been  heard  as  well  amidst  the  cannons'  roar  and 
the  thunder  of  the  battle  as  in  the  days  of  peace  and  pros- 
perity; and  once  the  struggle  was  over,  the  Master's  voice 
was  heard :  "Arise,  my  beloved,  the  Winter  is  past  and  the 
rains  are  over."  And  they  responded  to  His  invitation 
and  clustered  once  more  around  Christ's  representative  to 
hear  the  word  of  eternal  life. 

"One  of  the  Abbe's  beloved  nooks  was  a  noble  tree — it 
can  be  found  to-day  within  a  few  miles  of  Chinchuba. 
Here  he  loved  to  meditate,  here  he  prayed  not  only  for  his 
Indian  friends,  but  also  for  his  country,  as  expressed  in  his 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  147 

own  beautiful  words:  'Aimer  l'Eglise,  c'est  aimer  la 
patre,  et  aimer  la  patrie,  c'est  la  servir  par  la  priere.' 

"His  chapels  were  always  built  under  or  near  some 
glorious  oak,  several  of  them  over  abandoned  Indian  log- 
cabins  then  a  hundred  years  old,  built  by  the  Choctaws 
before  they  had  seen  a  white  man's  face.  They  are  all  gone 
now  but  one!  It  stands  on  the  grounds  of  the  Deaf-Mute 
Institution  at  Chinchuba — a  silent  companion  of  the  dear 
ones  there  whose  lives  are  as  noiseless  as  this  loved  relic 
of  the  poet-priest. 

"The  love  of  solitude  seems  to  have  been  an  inborn 
need  of  his  soul — but  its  inspiration  was  his  love  of  God. 
The  beautiful  forests  of  Louisiana  reflected  the  beauty  of 
their  Creator,  and  within  their  gloom  and  glory  he  felt 
near  to  heaven  and  its  King. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


HOME    FOR    GOOD. 


Even  the  best,  even  the  holiest,  even  the  most  heroic 
persons — even  those  which  in  our  poor  human  judgment, 
God  should  leave  here  on  earth  much  longer  to  continue 
the  great  work  they  are  doing  for  the  Church,  for  the  salva- 
tion of  souls — must  one  day  close  their  tired  eyes  upon 
this  world's  scene  of  action,  to  open  them  for  the  eternal 
contemplation  of  their  reward  exceeding  great. 

Sometimes  the  volume  of  a  life  is  ended  but  is  not 
finished.  That  soul  may  cry:  "Pater,  in  niamis  tuns  com- 
mendum  spiritum  mewml"  but  it  cannot  say:  "Consum- 
matum  est.,  Father,  I  have  finished  the  work  Thou  gavest 
me."  Could  not  Adrien  Rouquette  claim  this  privilege  at 
the  close  of  his  long  career? 

For  twenty-eight  long  years,  in  hardships  and  labor, 
he  had  devoted  himself  untiringly  to  the  Chahta  Indians — 
and  so  great  was  his  influence,  so  profound  the  respect  he 
inspired,  so  unbounded  the  confidence  he  won,  that  long 
before  he  saw  the  period  of  his  exile  on  earth  near  its  end, 
it  was  well  night  impossible  to  find  a  savage  unbaptized, 
uninstructed,  who  did  not  proudly  proclaim  allegiance  to 
the  faith  of  Chahta-Ima,  as  the  Indians  loved  to  call  their 
Black  Robe  Father. 

Toward  the  beginning  of  the  '80s  two  ladies  of  New 
Orleans  were  spending  the  Summer  in  Mandeville,  and 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  149 

enjoyed  nothing  more  than  a  drive  into  the  country 
around,  especially  in  those  regions  evangelized  by  the 
saintly  missionary,  Father  Rouquette. 

Civilization  was  creeping  apace  and  extending  the  hab- 
itations of  the  paleface  ever  deeper  into  the  section  so  long- 
in  possession  of  the  Choctaws.  These  withdrew  further 
back  into  the  forest,  and  with  the  exception  of  the  few 
Indians  who  still  frequented  the  French  Market  in  New 
Orleans,  one  might  drive  many  miles  without  meeting  a 
savage. 

Father  Rouquette  was  well  known  by  reputation  to 
these  ladies,  and  they  had  seen  him  occasionally  as  he 
came  in  regularly  to  the  Archbishop  for  confession,  even 
as  the  humblest  of  his  flock ;  and  then  to  gladden  the  hearts 
of  old  friends,  none  of  whom  welcomed  him  with  more 
genuine  pleasure  than  Archbishop  Blanc,  and  later  his 
worthy  and  holy  successor,  Archbishop  Odin. 

On  these  occasions  the  missionary  remained  over 
night  and  early  in  the  morning  said  his  Mass  most  de- 
voutedly  at  a  side  altar  of  St.  Mary's  Church.  His  was 
an  imposing  figure,  once  seen,  never  to  be  forgotten,  and 
the  impression  made  always  left  a  desire  to  know  more  of 
the  missionary,  about  whom  such  wondrous  histories  were 
told.  One  evening  the  ladies  left  the  little  town  of  Mande- 
ville  for  a  long  drive  which  would  take  them  to  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  one  of  Father  Rouquette's  woodland 
chapels.  When  quite  near  the  place  they  met  an  Indian 
woman  carrying  an  infant.  The  carriage  was  stopped,  and 
though  the  woman  seemed  timid  and  reserved,  when  the 
ladies  beckoned  to  her  she  approached  and  showed  them 


150  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

her  little  child.  They  tried  to  interrogate  her,  but  soon 
perceived  that  she  understood  neither  French  nor  Eng- 
lish. Then  they  endeavored  by  signs  to  find  out  whether 
the  infant  had  received  baptism.  This,  too,  seemed  in- 
effectual till  one  of  the  ladies  mentioned  the  name  of  Fa- 
ther Eouquette.  At  once  her  face  was  illumined,  a  flash 
of  comprehension  was  followed  by  expressions  of  joy  and 
reverence,  and  repeating  the  name,  "Eouquette,  Eou- 
quette, Chahta-Ima!"  she  explained  by  gestures  that  her 
little  one  had  received  baptism  from  the  venerable  Father, 
and  was  now  a  child  of  God. 

How  often  during  the  twenty-eight  years  of  his  apos- 
tolate  had  not  Father  Eouquette  realized  his  vision  at  the 
altar,  that  foresight,  as  it  were,  of  the  future,  when  with 
uplifted  monstrance  he  gave  the  Savior's  Benediction  to 
the  kneeling  Indians  amidst  a  scene  of  sunset  glory  which 
cast  a  halo  round  the  hallowed  spot.  He  had  truly  made 
himself  one  with  his  people  and  gained  them  all  to  Christ. 

One  reason  why  Father  Eouquette  chose  the  "Nook" 
as  the  rallying  place  for  the  Choctaws  after  the  war,  was 
because  from  time  immemorial  the  spot  had  been  sacred  to 
the  Chahta  dead.  One  of  their  old  pagan  rites  had  been 
to  assemble  there  yearly  to  render  homage  to  their  an- 
cestors. 

From  far  and  near  the  Indians  came,  even  from 
Georgia,  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  as  well  as  from  the 
most  remote  sections  of  Louisiana,  and  far  from  discour- 
aging this  remnant  of  paganism,  with  the  instinct  born  of 
loyalty  to  Mother  Church,  and  in  imitation  of  her  own 
deeds  in  pagan  Eome,  the  zealous  missionary  saw  therein 


POET-MISSIONAEY     OF     LOUISIANA.  151 

a  means  of  apostolate.  He  Christianized  the  pagan  rite, 
converting  it  into  another  day  of  All  Souls. 

Father  Rouquette  was  sure  to  be  at  the  place  so  dear 
to  the  different  tribes,  ready  to  welcome  the  weary  pil- 
grims, and  while  pouring  the  balm  of  earthly  consolation 
upon  their  bruised  feet  and  fevered  bodies,  and  distribut- 
ing food  to  the  famished  multitude,  he  was  no  less  solici- 
tous by  winning  their  love  and  reverence  to  lead  them  to 
their  Heavenly  Father.  So  when  the  wanderers  returned 
to  their  homes  far  away  they  bore  with  them  the  seed  of 
Faith — a  knowledge  of  the  teachings  of  Christ,  and,  often 
a  great  desire  to  become  worthy  children  of  the  great 
Spirit  whose  minister  and  representative  was  the  White 
Father,  the  Black  Eobe — Chahta-Ima. 

Thus  the  tiny  mustard  seed  grew  into  the  large  and 
spreading  tree. 

And  right  here,  after  considering  the  mighty  work 
in  the  Master's  vineyard  accomplished  so  lovingly  by  this 
heroic  laborer,  let  us  pause  and  look  forward  a  quarter 
of  a  century.  Could  the  shade  of  Father  Chocarne  return 
to  the  land  of  the  Choctaws ;  could  the  spirit  of  the  gen- 
erous and  devoted  missionary  return  with  him  to  contem- 
plate the  once  loved  scene  of  a  great  life-work,  what 
would  they  say?  It  is  not  given  us  to  know  the  whys  and 
wherefores  of  God's  designs  in  man's  regard,  and  the  "Im- 
itation of  Christ"  warns  us  not  to  inquire  curiously  into 
the  plans  of  Divine  Providence.  Still  we  are  not  forbid- 
den to  see  the  course  of  events  allowed  by  God,  and  there- 
from derive  spiritual  profit. 


152  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

Where  are  the  numerous  tribes  of  Indians  evangelized 
by  Father  Eouquette?  Vanished  as  the  mist  before  the 
sun,  as  the  mark  in  the  water  left  by  the  keel  of  a  boat,  as 
the  passage  in  the  air  cleft  by  the  wing  of  a  bird. 

The  Indians  intermarried  with  the  negro  race,  and 
sought  new  homes  at  a  distance;  and  now  it  is  well  nigh 
impossible  to  find  a  full-blooded  Choctaw  in  the  old  forest 
homes  of  Louisiana. 

It  is  but  a  repetition  of  the  same  old  story,  heard  long 
ago  in  the  North,  East  and  West.  The  Indian  must  dis- 
appear from  the  land  he  once  called  his  own  and  give 
place  to  the  onward  march  of  progress  following  the  wake 
of  the  paleface  invasion.  It  all  enters  into  the  domain  of 
the  Divine  Omniscience. 

As  Father,  or  rather  as  Canon  Sheehan  says  in  his 
"Parerga":  "The  social  body  is  moved  ahead  along  the 
wheels  of  suffering — every  great  forward  movement  in 
human  history  has  been  preluded  by  conquest.  The  path 
of  progress  is  the  path  of  pain.  Bleached  bones  and 
broken  hearts,  mark  every  inch  of  its  way. 

How  each  tiniest  item  of  creation  works  outward 
and  upward,  subserving  some  higher  species.  It  is  the 
altruism  of  nature,  the  desgn  of  making  all  things  co- 
operate in  one  single  plan,  each  working  for  some  higher 
existence  than  its  own  and  subserving  some  higher  and 
hidden  purpose  beyond  its  ken." 

It  is  a  beautiful  picture  to  contemplate,  this  giving 
of  Christ's  message  to  the  last  members  of  a  race  about  to 
disappear,    to    vanish,    from    their    cherished    hunting- 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  153 

grounds,  but  as  they  go  to  bear  upon  their  brow  the  shin- 
ing Cross  of  regeneration.  And  to  whom  was  the  glorious 
work  confided?  To  Adrien  Rouquette,  another  son  of  the 
same  soil,  who  had  heard  the  Master's  invitation  "Follow 
Me,"  and  had  responded  with  all  the  generosity  of  his 
burning  zeal :  "Master,  lead  on,  and  I  will  follow  Thee,  to 
the  last  gasp,  in  faith  and  loyalty !" 

And  he  never  swerved  from  the  path  traced  for  his 
priestly  mission  all  during  those  years  from  1859  to  1886. 
Even  then  he  strove  to  revive  by  spiritual  means  the  vigor 
of  departed  youth — and  his  people  grew  to  think  he  was 
of  some  superior  mould  not  subject  to  old  age,  decay  and 
dissolution.  But  he  had  borne  the  burden  and  the  heat  of 
the  day  and  he  felt  the  chill  of  life's  twilight  numb  the 
energies  that  had  cleft  asunder  apparently  adamantine 
difficulties.  The  fire  of  his  ardent  nature  had  moulded 
great  designs,  but  now  its  heat  was  cooled  into  a  quiet 
and  tranquil  peace,  which  left  only  one  boon  to  desire — 
unending  union  with  the  great,  the  absorbing  love  of  his 
consecrated  heart — a  love  that  could  only  be  satisfied 
when  his  happy  soul  could  seek  its  center — could  see  its 
God  face  to  face  and  know  that  henceforth  there  should 
be  no  parting. 

Adrien  felt  that  his  work  was  drawing  to  a  close, 
that  the  shadows  of  eventide  would  soon  give  place  to  night 
and  then  Oh!  glory  of  the  elect!  then  would  be  born  the 
dawn  of  that  perfect  endless  day  we  call  Heaven. 

But  he  did  not  wait  the  summons  in  idleness,  know- 
ing that  his  task  was  done.    No,  he  wished  the  Master  of 


154  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

the  harvest  to  call  while  the  garnered  sheaf  was  still 
within  his  hands. 

At  last  the  time  arrived.  In  1886,  Adrien  became  very 
ill,  and  kind  friends  were  obliged  to  insist  that  he  permit 
them  to  take  him  to  New  Orleans,  so  that  the  good  Sisters 
of  Charity  at  the  Hotel  Dieu  might  do  all  that  human 
skill  can  devise  to  keep  on  earth  a  soul  homesick  for 
Heaven.  They  strove  by  every  means  within  their  reach 
to  stay  the  progress  of  the  malady  and  succeeded  for  some 
time  in  checking  its  ravages,  but  with  the  opening  of  1887 
all  hope  was  withdrawn.  The  celestial  citizens  were 
claiming  their  companion  and  the  poor  Indians  were  to 
be  deprived  of  their  Father,  Chahta-Ima.  Never  more 
was  he  to  visit  their  humble  huts,  making  them  sanctuaries 
of  Divine  consolation  as  he  ministered  to  the  sick,  the  dy- 
ing, the  mourner,  or  the  new-born  child.  Never  again 
was  his  revered  form  to  appear  at  the  altar,  the  inter- 
mediary between  them  and  their  God.  Never  again  was 
his  dear  hand  to  be  raised  in  benediction  over  his  children 
of  the  forest. 

His  hour  had  come  and  science,  art,  love  and  prayer, 
all  alike,  were  ineffectual.  The  Lord  will  have  His  way, 
and  on  July  15,  1887,  fortified  by  all  the  helps  of  Holy 
Mother  Church,  Adrien  Rouquette's  soul  took  its  flight 
for  the  Father's  Home  to  reap  the  reward  of  his  long  and 
holy  life  and  labors. 

All  during  his  long  illness  the  Indians  had  eagerly 
gleaned  every  item  of  information  concerning  their  Black 
(Robe's  conditions  and  now  the  sad  intelligence  is  given 


POET-MISSIONAEY     OF     LOUISIANA.  155 

them  that  all  is  over.  Their  stoicism  vanishes  before  their 
child-like  sorrow,  and  overcoming  their  natural  timidity 
and  reluctance  to  mingle  with  the  whites,  they  forget  all 
else  except  that  Chahta-Ima  is  dead,  and  that  they  must 
pay  him  the  last  tribute  of  their  love  and  gratitude.  They 
leave  the  forest  solitudes  and  walk  many  a  weary  mile  to 
mourn  beside  the  bier  of  their  Father.  It  was  all  just 
as  he  himself  would  have  arranged  it,  and  as  his  simple, 
humble  children  of  the  forest  laid  their  wreaths  of  wood- 
land vine  and  flowers  upon  his  grave,  his  spirit  in  Heaven 
must  have  looked  down  in  tenderness  and  pity  and  sent 
earthward  one  more  benediction  upon  the  people  whom 
he  had  loved  so  well. 


Poet  of  purity!    Singer  of  God! 
Thy  deeds  are  not  hidden  beneath  the  green  sod. 
In  the  annals  of  earth  they  will  ever  more  shine, 
•And  a  place  in  the  glory  of  heaven  is  thine. 

S.  B.  E. 


POEMS. 

It  is  not  without  a  profound  reason  that  one  speaks 
of  "the  Republic  of  Letters,"  and  it  is  with  equal  wisdom 
that  Plato  wished  to  banish  from  his  Republic  all  impious 
poets,  because  a  Republic  and  true  Liberty  live  by  Re- 
ligion and  virtue.  Poets  should  be  sacred  singers,  patriotic 
hymnists. 

Considering  poetry  from  this  high  point  of  view, 
which  gives  us  a  correct  idea  of  its  social  mission,  I  have 
used  all  the  talent  which  God  gave  me  to  glorify  His  name 
and  to  serve  my  country,  to  make  vice  hateful  and  virtue 
lovable. 

There  is  no  glory  where  virtue  is  absent. 

A.  R. 


We  insert  a  few  of  Abbe  Rouquette's  poems  in  English 
and  French.    The  two  English  ones  are  not  translations. 

POEMS  WRITTEN  IN  ENGLISH  BY  ABBE  ROUQUETTE. 

NATURE,  MY  MOTHER. 

O  Nature,  powerful,  smiling,  calm, 

To  my  unquiet  heart, 
Thy  peace  distilling  as  a  balm, 

Thy  mighty  life  impart. 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  157 

0  Nature,  Mother,  still  the  same, 
So  lovely,  mild  with  me, 

To  live  in  peace  unsung  by  fame, 
Unchanged  I  come  to  thee; 

1  come  to  live,  as  saints  have  lived, 
I  fly  where  they  have  fled, 

By  men  unholy  never  grieved, 
In  prayer  my  tears  to  shed. 

Alone  with  thee,  from  cities  far, 

Dissolved  each  earthly  tie; 
By  some  divine  magnetic  star 

Attracted  still  on  high. 

Oh,  that  my  heart  inhaling  love 

And  life  with  ecstacy, 
From  this  low  world  to  worlds  above 

Might  rise  exultingly! 


THE  WILD  LILY  AND  THE  PASSION  FLOWEK. 

Sweet  flower  of  light, 

The  queen  of  solitude, 
The  image  bright 

Of  grace-born  maidenhood. 


158  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

Thou  risest  tall 

Midst  struggling  weeds  that  droop. 
Thy  lieges  all, 

Most  humbly  bow  and  stoop! 

Hail,  Passion  Flower! 

So  solemn,  awful,  sad! 
I  feel  thy  power, 

O  King,  in  purple  clad! 

To  heart  of  mine 
Thou  art  the  emblem  dear, 

Of  woes  divine, — 

The  Flower  I  most  revere! 

The  lily  white, 

The  purple  passion  flower, 
Symbol  Mount  Thabor  bright, 

The  gloomy  Olive  bower! 

Such  is  our  life, 

Alternate  joys  and  woes ; 

Short  peace,  long  strife, 
Few  friends  and  many  foes. 

My  heart,  away 

With  wailings  here  below; 
The  Royal  way 

To  realms  above — is  woe! 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  159 

PATRIOTIC  POEM. 

L'Amerique,  oh!  l'Amerique, 
'C'est  le  pays  du  printemps ; 
C'est  le  sejour  poetique 
De  tous  les  enchantements ! 

C'est  l'Eden  de  la  jeunesse! — 

Sur  le  deuil  du  souvenir, 
II  faut  que  tout  j  renaisse! — 

C'est  l'Eden  de  l'Avenir 

La  Republique  sera  benie 

Malgre  la  haine  des  potentats ; 
Et  par  l'Union  et  l'harmonie 

Grandiront  les  trente — trois  Etats. 

Amerique,  O  ma  patrie, 

Dans  ce  grand  sieele  agite, 
N'est  tu  pas  l'Arche  cherie 

Ouverte  a  l'humanite? 

N'offres-tu  pas  tes  savanes 

Tes  forets  et  tes  vallons, 
Aux  nombreuses  caravanes 

De  toutes  les  nations? 

N'as  tu  pas  des  champs  fertiles, 

Entre  tes  deux  oceans, 
Pour  servir  toujours  d'asiles 

A  cent  peuples  d'emigrants? 


160  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     BOUQUETTE, 

Au  progres,  a  la  science, 
Ouvre  tes  bras  maternels ; 

A  Fame,  a  la  conscience, 

Rends  tous  ses  droits  eternels ! 

Sous  ta  celeste  banniere, 

Abrite  la  Liberte, 
Et  sois  FArche  hospitaliere 

De  toute  Phumanite! 


TRIBUTE  TO  ORESTES  A.  BROWNSON. 

Oui,  je  comprends,  Brownson,  ta  haute  intelligence 
Repandant  sur  nous  tous  sa  feconde  effulgence, 
Je  comprends  ta  Revue,  immense  mine  d'or 
Riche  Californie,  indigene  tresor, 
Arsenal  litteraire,  ou  nous  trouvons  des  armes 
Pour  vaincre  et  terrasser  Perreur  pleine  d'alarmes. 


TO  FATHER  HECKER. 

Je  te  comprends,  Hecker,  avec  tes  compagnons 
De  la  cause  Eternelle  eloquents  champions, 
Apotres  du  Pays,  heroiques  Paulistes, 
De  notre  Republique  ardents  Evangelistes, 
Vous  que  le  ciel  destine  a  porter  de  grande  coups, 
Je  vous  aime  et  salue,  et  je  suis  avec  vous. 


POET-MISSIONABY     OF     LOUISIANA.  161 

This  poein  might  have  been  written  to-day.  It  is  the 
report  of  the  Demon  who  watches  over  cities  to  his  infernal 
Chief — Satan — written  fifty  years  ago. 

LE  DEMON  DE  LA  CITE. 

En  voulant  rendre  a  tous  la  piete  facile, 
J'ai  tenue  ce  discours  a  la  foule  imbecile:— 
II  faut  interpreter  Pesprit  de  l'Evangile 
Selon  les  temps,  les  lieux,  la  nature  fragile. 
L'homme  doit  craindre  en  tout  l'exageration ; 
II  doit  craindre  Pexces  de  la  perfection, 
L'exces  dans  la  pudeur  et  dans  la  temperance; 
Le  moindre  poids  de  trop  fait  pencher  la  balance! 

Le  point  d'arret  pour  lui,  c'est  le  juste-milieu, 
En  sagesse  il  ne  faut  le  trop,  ni  le  trop  peu 
Croyez  moi,  le  chemin,  pour  arriver  aux  cieux, 
Le  chemin  le  plus  sur,  c'est  le  plus  spacieux ! 

Et  vous,  vierges,  suivez  en  tout  les  autres  f emmes ; 
Pour  plaire  et  reussir,  soyez  des  grandes  dames ; 
Cubliez  a  jamais  les  lecons  du  Couvent, 
Et  reines  de  la  mode,  en  avant!  en  avant! 
Sans  honte,  revetez  la  nudite  mondaine 
Laissez  la  pruderie  a  la  dame  puritaine, 
Le  chemin  le  plus  droit,  pour  vous,  en  verite, 
C'est  le  chemin  suivi  par  la  majorite. 
Si  le  peuple  est  le  inaltre,  abrogeant  toutes  lois, 
Nul  n'etant  asservi,  vous  serez  tous  des  rois. 
Le  sexe  tres-devot,  les  vierges  et  matrones, 


162  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

Pour  varier  le  cour  des  plaisirs  monotones, 
Savent  comment  passer  du  theatre  au  saint-lieu 
Et  de  la  table  sainte  a  la  table  de  jeu !   .    .    .    . 
Oui,  du  trone  a  l'autel,  de  la  tombe  au  berceau 
Tout  est  enveloppe  de  notre  froid  reseau ! 
De  la  societe  nous  rongeons  les  entrailles ; 
Le  Christ  verra  bientot  ses  grandes  funerailles, 
Et  le  monde,  soumis  au  culte  des  Demons, 
N'aura  dans  l'avenir  que  la  foi  des  Mormons! 
L'interet,  sans  amour,  forme  et  dissout  les  noeuds ; 
Et  le  lit  nuptial  n'est  qu'un  sepulcre  affreux ! 


LA  POESXE  EST  SAINTE! 

La  Muse  de  l'autel  peut  s'approcher  sans  crainte; 

Le  Barde,  apres  le  pretre,  est  roi  dans  le  saint  lieu ; 

La  langue  de  David,  c'est  la  langue  de  Dieu! — 

La  poesie  est  sainte!  et  1'Eglise  inspiree 

N'a  jamais  recuse  cette  langue  saeree, 

Avec  Tencens,  les  fleurs,  et  les  presents  divers, 

Le  poet  fidele  a  droit  d'offrir  ces  vers! 

Oui,  l'Elglise  a  toujours  accueilli  d'un  sourire 

Le  fils  de  Pharmonie  incline  sur  sa  lyre! 

Et  quand  tout  s'en  allait,  croulant  de  toutes  parts, 

L'Eglise,  au  sein  des  flots,  fut  l'Arche  des  Beaux-Arts! 

On  le  sait,  aujourd  'hui,  c'est  elle  au  Moyen-Age 

Qui,  riche  de  tresors,  les  sauva  du  naufrage. 

Lorsque  la  nuit  pesait  sur  tout  le  genre  humain, 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  163 

Elle  seule  tenait  un  flambeau  dans  sa  main. 

La  poesi  est  sainte!  Autrefois  le  poete 

Etait  pontife  ou  roi,  voyant,  juge  ou  propkete. 

Le  poete  anjourd  hui'  n'est  pas  moins  qu'autrefois, 

La  harpe  de  David  vibre  encor  sons  ses  doigts! 

Dites  Synesius,  Gregoire,  Apollinaire 

Si  vOus  avez  marche  sur  les  traces  d'Homere, 

Si  vous  avez  orne  de  fleurs  la  verite, 

Jusqu'  au  pied  de  Fautel  si  vous  avez  chante, 

Et  si  vos  chants,  echos  des  hymnes  angeliques, 

Ont  transports  d'amour  les  peuples  Catholiques, 

Oh !  dites,  ai-je  en  vain  recu  le  meme  don, 

Et  dois-je  pour  mes  vers  implorer  le  pardon? 

Est-ce  pour  qu'elle  reste  inutile  et  muette 

Que  Dieu  mit  une  lyre  dans  mon  coeur  de  poete? 


LE  SOL  NATAL. 


Le  sol  natal !  chaque  homme  a  tout  sol  le  prefere, 
Comme  a  toute  autre  femme,  il  prefere  sa  mere ; 
Et  de  son  nom  blesse  chaque  homme  est  le  vengeur, 
Comme  il  avenge  sa  mere  atteinte  en  son  honneur ! 
Une  mere  pour  nous,  ah !  c'est  plus  qu'une  femme! 
Ton  sourire,  Amerique,  a  fascine  mon  ame; 
Et  s'il  reste  un  obstacle  entre  le  ciel  et  moi 
Oui,  le  dernier  obstacle,  Amerique,  c'est  toi! 
Ah!  malheur  a  tons  ceux  qui  t'insultent,  ma  mere! 


164  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

Car  mon  amour,  emu  de  toute  sa  colere 

D'un  fils  en  sa  vengeance,  imitant  les  exces, 

Irait  jusqu  a  s'armer  pour  qu'ils  soient  expulses! 

Oui,  l'instinct  filial,  oui,  le  patriotisme, 

C'est  un  avengle  instinct,  un  jaloux  fanatisme: 

C'est  aimer  et  hair  avec  notre  Pays ; 

C'est  aimer  ses  amis,  hair  ses  ennemis ! 

Celui  qui  entendre  injurier  sa  mere, 

Et  qui  ne  repond  pas,  dans  sa  sainte  colere, 

Et  qui  ne  tire  pas  sa  glaive  menacant, 

Et  qui  ne  f  rappe  pas  .  .  .  .  ce  fils  n'a  pas  de  sang ! 


TO  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA. 

L'Eglise  d'Amerique,  en  qui  tant  d'espoir  brille, 
De  l'Eglise  Romaine  est  la  plus  jeune  fille, 
Rayonnante  de  gloire  et  pleine  d'avenir. 
Gloire  aux  Etats-Unis!  Gloire  a  la  Republique! 
Rome  etend  chaque  jour  sa  main  pour  la  benir!  .  . 
Gloire  a  toi,  jeune  et  libre  Eglise  Catholique, 
Pour  baillonner  ta  presse  et  restreindre  tes  droits, 
Tu  n'as  pas  un  sabreur,  un  Napoleon — Trois. 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  165 


DISCOURS. 

A  la  Cathedrale  de  St.  Louis,  Nouvelle-Orleans,  1846, 

A  LOCASION  DE  LANIVERSAIRE  DU   8  JANVIER. 

Messieurs  et  chers  concitoyens,  depuis  1814  vous  venez, 
chanque  annes,  dans  cette  vieille  cathedral,  rendre  graces 
a  Dieu  pour  la  victoire  du  8  Janvier ;  vous  venez  celebrer  ce 
jour  glorieux,  ce  jour  de  triomphe  et  d'enthousiasme 
national. — Que  je  suis  heureux  d'avoir  ete  choisi,  cette 
annee,  par  Monseigneur,  pour  vous  adresser  quelques 
mots,  en  partageant  votre  entliousiasme.  En  ce  jour  si 
solennel,  mon  emotion  est  grande,  elle  est  intime  et  pro- 
fonde,  j'ai  de  la  peine  a  la  contenir;  mais  ce  n'est  pas  une 
emotion  de  crainte  et  d'hesitation,  c'est  l'emotion  d'un 
coeur  Louisianais,  d'un  coeur  patriote.  C'est  done  de  mon 
coeur  seul,  c'est  du  fond  de  mon  coeur  emu,  comine  les 
vdtres,  que  je  tirerai  toutes  mes  paroles,  et  c'est  a  vos  cceurs 
amis  que  je  les  adresserai. 

Mais  aujourd'liui,  pourquoi  etes-vous  reunis  en  si 
grand  nombre  dans  cette  enceinte,  et  pourquois  suis-je 
monte  dans  cette  chaire?  Qu'attendez-vous  de  moi?  Est- 
ce  un  discours  commemoratif  de  la  victoire  de  8  Janvier? 
ou  bien,  est-ce  plutdt  une  oraison  funebre? 

S  j'etais  en  presence  d'un  auditoire  d'etrangers,  a  la 
vue  de  tant  d'hommes  reunis  qui  feraient  silence  pour 
m'ecouter  et  pour  me  juger,  et  qui  se  poseraient  devant  moi 
dans  une  attitude  ouvertement  hostile,  peut-etre  serais-je 
accessible  a  un  premier  mouvement  de  crainte,  peut-etre 


166  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

hesiterais-je  un  moment!. . .  Mais  ici  qu'ai-je  k  craindre? 
Je  parle  a  des  Louisianais;  je  m'adresse  k,  freres,  k  mes 
amis  d'Anierique. — Le  dirai-je,  Messieurs,  je  me  sens 
rassure,  comme  si  j'etais  en  famille,  et  entoure  de  freres  et 
d'amis  devoues;  c'est  que  je  connais  votre  bienveillance, 
vous  ru'avez  deja  donne  des  temoignages  si  eclatants  de 
votre  vive  synipathie!  et  je  le  sens,  c'est  aujourd'hui 
surtout  que  ma  voix  amie  et  fraternelle  trouvera  un  echo 
sympathique,  et  dans  les  jeunes  cceurs  enthousiastes  qui 
me  comprendront,  et  dans  les  coeurs  plus  calmes  des  sages 
vieillards  qui  me  jugeront. 

Je  n'ai  qu'une  crainte,  Messieurs,  c'est  de  ne  pouvoir 
traduire,  par  mes  faibles  paroles,  toutes  les  pensees  et  tous 
les  sentiments  que  ce  jour  m'inspire;  toutes  les  emotions 
surtout  que  votre  presence  reveille  au  fond  de  mon  ame; 
mais  vos  coeurs  suppleeront  facilment  a  ce  qui  manquera  a 
mes  paroles ;  vous  devinerez  ce  que  je  ne  pourrai  exprimer. 

Aujourd'hui,  vous  le  comprenez,  je  n'aurai  ni  le  temps, 
ni  la  force  surtout  de  rien  developper,  de  rien  demontrer : 
je  ne  ferai  que  quelques  reflexions  rapides;  je  ne  pourrai 
qu'indiquer  quelques  grandes  et  fecondes  verites,  que  je 
soumettrait  a  vos  meditations  profondes. 

Et  d'abord,  Messieurs,  il  y  a  plus  de  quatre  siecles,  il 
vint  k  un  homme  l'idee  d'un  Nouveau  Monde.  Christophe 
Colomb  (ce  nom  a  quelque  chose  qui  rappelle  la  Colombe 
envoyee  de  'lAche-Sainte  pour  decouvrir  la  terre  apres  le 
deluge),  Christophe  Colomb  eut  done  une  grande  inspira- 
tion; il  fit  voile  vers  l'Occident;  il  s'aventura  dans  des 
mers  inconnues;  et  un  jour,  apres  une  longue  et  perilleuse 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  167 

navigation,  le  soleil,  en  se  levant  magnifique,  fit  surgir  du 
sein  des  ondes  inexplorees  le  Monde  ineonnu  qu'avait  devine 
son  genie:  ce  Monde,  Messieurs,  c'est  notre  patrie! — Et 
il  j  a  trente-cinq  ans,  1'etoile  brillante  de  la  Louisiane  s'est 
ajoutee  a  la  radieuse  constellation  qui  decorait  deja  la  zone 
d'azur  du  drapeau  ainerican.  L'independance  de  la  Loui- 
siane a  ete  proclamee;  independante,  elle  a  participe  aux 
bienfaits  et  a  la  gloire  de  la  Republique,  elle  a  joui  de  la 
liberte  que  lui  assurait  sa  constitution.  Ajourd'hui,  voyez 
la  Nouvelle-Orleans,  sa  fille  ainee ;  comme  une  reine  riche- 
ment  paree,  elle  est  assise  sur  le  bord  de  Videal  des  fleuves 
navigables . . .  (L'expression  n'est  pas  de  moi,  elle  est  d'un 
etranger ) .  La  Nouvelle-Orleans,  c'est  le  plus  vaste  entrepot, 
c'est  le  point  le  plus  important,  c'est  la  clef,  c'est  la  reine 
du  Midi  et  de  FOceident.  Elle  doniine  par  sa  position ;  elle 
est  riche  surtout  de  ses  produits  agricoles,  la  richesse  la 
plus  reelle.  Par  le  nombre  des  navires  et  des  bateaux  a 
vapeur  qu'elle  charge  chaque  annee,  elle  etonne  les  mers, 
les  ports  etrangers,  le  fleuve  et  toutes  ses  branches  tribu- 
taires.  Elle  est  la  soeur  jumelle,  l'egale  de  New- York.  Elle 
forme  avec  la  cite  du  Nord  les  deux  poumons  des  fitats- 
Unis.  Oui,  la  Nouvelle-Orleans  et  New  York,  voila  les  deux 
poumons  puissants  qui  animent  le  commerce;  les  deux 
poumons  par  lesquels  respirent  les  Etats-Unis.  O'est  de  ces 
deux  poumons,  c'est  de  ce  double  foyer  que  s'echappent  le 
mouvement,  le  fluide  vital  qui  circulent  toutes  les  veines 
de  l'Union-Americaine. 

La  Nouvelle-Orleans,  Messieurs,  noble  cite  ouverte  a 
tous  les  etrangers ;  la  Louisiane,  terre  hospitaliere  et  gene- 


168  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     BOUQUETTE, 

reuse!  "II  est  une  vertu,  nous  dit  Ciceron,  que  Theo- 
"phaste  loue  entre  toutes  les  vertus,  et  cette  vertu,  c'est 
"l'hospitalite!  Kien,  en  effet,  n'est  plus  beau  que  de  voir 
"les  maisons  des  indigenes  ouvertes  aux  etrangers ;  il  y  va 
"de  la  gloire  de  l'Etat,  il  y  va  ineme  de  l'interet  et  du 
"credit  de  ceux  qui  aspirent  a  gouverner."  Eh  bien!  j'ose 
le  dire  ici,  en  presence  de  tant  d'etrangers,  les  enfants  de 
la  Louisiane  ont  toujours  ete  hospitaliers  et  genereux ;  et, 
a  cause  de  leur  genereuse  hospitalite,  Dieu  a  beni  la  Loui- 
siane, et  la  Louisiane  a  prospere,  elle  est  florissante.  Qui 
pourrait  pressentir  toutes  les  graces  que  Dieu  lui  reserve 
dans  Pavenir?  On  peut  dire  seulement  que  les  passe  de  la 
Louisiane  est  un  prejuge  legitime  en  faveur  de  son  avenir 
de  bonheur  et  de  gloire. 

Les  fetes  nationales,  Messieurs,  sont  des  fetes  religieuses ; 
rien  de  ce  qui  interesse  la  patrie  n'est  etranger  a  la  religion ; 
a  toutes  les  grandes  victoires,  l'Eglise  fait  retentir  le  chant 
du  Te  Deiom,  cette  hymne  sublime  de  louange  et  d'actions  de 
graces.  Dans  cette  cathedrale  nieme,  un  venerable  prelat, 
vous  vous  le  rappelez,  6  veterans  de  la  glorieuse  journee, 
monseignneur  Dubourg,  en  presentant  au  general  une  cou- 
ronne  de  lauriers,  le  salua  du  glorieux  titre  de  liberateur 
et  de  second  s.auveur  de  la  patrie. — C'estque  le  Seigneur, 
Dieu  des  armees,  Dominus,  dens  exercituum ;  celui  qui  pre- 
side aux  evolutions  militaires,  comme  a  celles  de  l'huma- 
nite,  qui  inspire  le  courage  et  distribue  la  vietoire,  Dieu 
avait  ete  le  premier  sauveur  de  la  patrie! 

Oui,  tout  en  admirant  le  genie  militaire  du  general, 
sans  rien  diminuer  de  sa  gloire  et  de  notre  reconnaissance, 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  169 

nous  pouvons  dire,  nous  devons  dire,  que  la  victoire  du 
8  Janvier  f ut  toute  divine,  toute  providentielle.  Dieu  avait 
des  vues  de  inisericorde  sur  la  Louisiane,  cette  terre  catho- 
lique ;  car  nous  ne  devons  pas  oublier  qu'une  des  premieres 
croix  qui  fut  plantee  dans  le  Nouveau-Monde,  le  fut  sur  le 
bord  de  ce  fleuve,  ou  la  victoire  devait  couronner  un  jour 
les  defenseurs  de  la  liberte  et  de  la  religion.  La  Louisiane 
est  fille  de  la  Prance  et  de  PEspague  catholiques ;  elle 
conibattait  pour  une  cause  juste  et  sainte,  Dieu  a  combattu 
avec  elle,  Dieu  Pa  fait  triompher! 

"Oui,  il  y  a  un  homme  qui  a  gagne  sur  les  troupes 
"disciplines  du  due  de  Wellington,  sur  les  liberateurs 
"du  Portugal  et  de  PEspagne,  la  derniere-  bataille  de 
"la  guerre  de  1814.  Cet  homme  est  le  general  Jackson. 
"Les  milices  du  Kentucky  et  de  POhio  ont  appris  ce  nom 
"a  leurs  enfants,  et  POuest  de  PAmerique  Pa  repete  dans 
"Penthousiasme  de  la  voictoire."  Ainsi  s'exprimait,  il  y 
a  dix-sept  ans,  une  feuille  franchise  hostile  a  la  politique 
de  Jackson,  comme  president. 

Mais  quelle  nouvelle,  aumoisdejuin,  est  venue  plonger 
les  Etats-Unis  dans  un  deuil  national?  Pourquoi  tous  ces 
monuments  funebres  eleves  sur  les  places  publiques?  Pour- 
quoi ces  insignes  lugubres,  cette  marche  lente  des  mili- 
taires,  et  ces  roulements  sourds  de  tambours  voiles  qui  pre- 
cedent le  convoi  innombrable?  Pourquoi  ce  deuil  universal? 
Jackson  a  cesse  de  vivre ;  nos  annales  comptent  un  mort 
illustre  de  plus. — Je  me  trompe :  Jackson  est  immortel ;  le 
genie  ne  meurt  pas ;  la  gloire  d'un  heros  est  plus  eclatante 
apres  la  sepulture;  son  esprit  survit  parmi  nous,  et  nous 


170  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     BOUQUETTE, 

aniine;  sa  grande  anie  plane  et  veille  au-dessus  de  nous; 
son  courage  est  hereditaire. 

Jackson  a  aime  sa  patrie,  il  a  combattu  pour  elle ;  il  a 
fait  tout  ce  que  son  amour  lui  a  inspire  pour  la  rendre  heu- 
reuse  et  f  lorissante.  II  etait  koinrne,  il  a  pu  se  troinper ;  mais 
il  a  voulu  le  bien,  nous  le  croyons;  il  a  tout  fait,  selon  ses 
convictions,  pour  le  bonheour  et  la  gloire  des  Etats-Unis. 

Le  genie  militaire  de  Jackson,  son  courage,  sa  perse- 
verance et  son  energie,  sa  conception  rapide  et  l'execution 
presque  aussi  rapide  de  ce  quil  avait  concu,  tout  cela  est 
inconteste,  tou  cela  a  ete  reconnu  et  admire  par  les  Ame- 
ricains,  comme  par  les  etrangers,  en  deca  comme  au  dela 
de  POcean.  La  renommee  du  guerrier  est  done  universelle. 
N'ayant  a  parler  que  du  8  Janvier,  je  devrais  peut-etre  ne 
considerer  dans  Jackson  que  le  soldat  heureux,  le  guerrier 
intrepide. 

Cependant  il  est  un  fait  de  sa  vie  civille  sur  lequel 
j'appelllerait  toute  votre  attention,  parce  qu'il  renferme  un 
prof  ond  enseignement,  vous  le  savez,  dans  des  circonstances 
critiques,  croyant  que  e'etait  le  seul  moyen  de  sauver  la 
patrie,  Jackson  proclama  la  loi  mortiale. 

( Messieurs,  je  ne  pretends  pas  juger  du  droit  de  Jack- 
son, de  la  legalite  de  l'acte ;  je  cite  seulement  ce  fait  afin  de 
rapporter  un  autre  fait,  qui  en  est  une  consequence,  et  qui 
est  une  gloire  pour  le  general.  Je  n'ai  aucune  opinion 
politique ;  je  ne  veux  en  exprimer  aucune,  surtout  du  haut 
de  cette  chaire  sacree.  Si  done  quelques  unes  de  mes 
expressions  pouvaient  etre  interpreters  dans  le  sens  d'un 
parti  politique  quelconque,  ce  sens,  je  le  desavoune!) 


POET-MISSIONAEY     OF     LOUISIANA.  171 

Jackson  trouva  done  que  les  legislateurs  se  livraient  & 
des  discussions  oiseuses  et  trop  lentes.  Des  lors,  il  s'eleva  un 
conflit  entre  le  pouvoir  civil  et  le  pouvoir  niilitaire.  Dans 
cette  lutte,  un  juge  se  distingua  surtout  par  son  opposition 
courageuse.  Le  general,  croyant  son  temps  trop  precieux 
pour  le  perdre  a  disputer  sur  des  inatieres  civiles,  fitarreter 
le  magistrat  et  Peloigna  de  la  ville.  II  pensait  qu'on  ne 
devait  pas  s'amuser  a  raisonner  avec  des  paroles,  quand  la 
patrie  etait  menacee,  mais  qu'on  devait  decider  les  choses 
avec  le  canon,  la  derniere  raison  des  peuples,  ratio  ultima 
populorum. 

La  victoire  ou  la  mort!  tel  avait  ete  son  cri  de  ralliement. 
A  ce  cri  du  general,  l'armee  f  ut  electrisee.  Bientot,  la  victoire 
ayant  couronne  ses  arnies,  pendant  que  les  vaisseaux  anglais 
fuyaient  loin  des  cotes  de  la  Louisiane,  le  23  Janvier,  le 
general  vainqueur  fit  son  entree  triomphale  a  la  Nouvelle- 
Orleans  aux  acclamations  unanimes  de  toute  la  population 
reconnaissante,  accourue  au-devant  de  lui.  Le  magistrat 
courageux,  de  retour  de  son  exil,  se  portant  juge  et  partie 
dans  sa  propre  cause,  condanmna  Jackson  a  une  amende  de 
mille  piastres.  "General,  lui  dit-il,  je  vous  regarde  comme 
le  sauveur  de  la  patrie ;  mais,  pour  avoir  desobei  a  la.  ma- 
gistrature,  je  vous  condamne  a  une  amende  de  mille  pias- 
tres." Jackson  n'invoquapour  sa  justification,  ni  sa  victoire, 
ni  cette  ancienne  maxime  des  Komains :  inter  arma  silent 
leges,  en  temps  de  guerre,  les  lois  sont  muettes.  II  se  soumit 
a  Pautorite  civile;  il  acquitta  k  l'instant  cette  somne,  en 
disant  ces  memorables  paroles:  "Juge,  cette  meme  epee 
qui  a  servi  a  defendre  la  patrie  vous  defendrait,  s'il  le  fal- 


172  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     KOUQUETTE, 

lait" ;  et,  a  sa  sortie  du  tribunal,  il  fut  porte  en  triomphe 
jusqu'a  sa  demeure. 

Sublime  exeinple,  au  milieu  du  succes  militaire  le  plus 
eclatant,  de  la  soumission  la  plus  humble  aux  lois  et  h. 
l'autorite  civile.  Adinirez  Jackson  sur  le  champ  de 
bataille ;  admirez  le  soldat  courageux,  le  guerrier  couronne 
par  la  victoire ;  moi,  j'admire  le  simple  citoyen  qui  se  laisse 
juger  et  condamner,  et  qui  donne  Fexemple  de  l'obeissance 
a  Pautorite  legitime  qu'il  avait  cru  pouvoir  violer  dans  une 
circonstance  tout  exceptionnelle  ou  il  fallait  sauver  la 
patrie. 

Sans  doute,  il  aurait  pu  dire  an  juge :  inter  arma  silent 
leges,  quand  le  canon  gronde,  les  lois  sont  muettes. . .  II 
s'est  tu! 

C'est  que  Jackson  aimait  son  pays;  il  savait  que  ce 
qui  rend  un  Etat  florissant,  c'est  le  respect  pour  les  lois 
et  l'autorite,  c'est  la  saintete  du  serment,  c'est  la  justice, 
c'est  la  vertu,  c'est  la  religion. 

Oui,  Messieurs,  il  savait  que  tous  les  devoirs  peuvent 
se  concilier,  parce  que  tous  les  devoirs,  comme  toutes  les 
verites,  sont  solidaires;  oui  tous  les  devoirs  et  toutes  les 
verites  dans  l'ordre  religieux,  civile  et  politique. 

Tous  les  pouvoirs  legitimes  aussi,  parce  que  tous  vien- 
nent  de  Dieu,  peuvent  se  concilier,  se  maintenir  dans 
l'equilibre  et  l'harmonie;  mais  si  l'harmonie  est  detruite, 
s'il  y  a  conflit  entre  les  divers  pouvoirs,  alors  il  n'y  a  pas  k 
hesiter ;  il  vaut  mieux  obeir  a  Dieu  qu'aux  homines. 

Rendez  a  Dieu  ce  qui  est  a  Dieu,  et  a  Cesar  ce  qui  est  a 
Cesar.  Et  moi  aussi,  j'obeirai  a  l'autorite  civile  et  politique ; 


POET-MISSIONABY     OF     LOUISIANA.  173 

mais  j'obeirai  a  l'autorite  divine,  au  pouvoir  religieux; 
j'exposerias  ma  vie,  s'il  le  fallait,  pour  sauver  nion  pays, 
mais  je  serais  martyr  aussi  pour  la  religion  de  mon  Dieu, 
qui  est  inort  sur  le  Calvaire;  je  mourrais  avec  joie  pour  ma 
patrie  terrestre  et  passagere,  mais  je  mourrais  avec  encore 
plus  de  joie  pour  ma  patrie  celeste  et  eternelle.  Je  puis  etre 
bon  citoyen,  ardent  patriote,  sage  et  enthousiaste  repu- 
blicain,  sans  cesser  d'etre  bon  catholique,  pretre  devoue  a 
mon  eveque,  et  decide,  s'il  le  fallait,  a  quitter  le  sol  ame 
ricain  pour  aller  porter  la  lumiere  evangelique  dans  les 
contrees  les  plus  lointaines,  conime  d'autres  ont  quitte  leur 
patrie  pour  venir  evangeliser  FAmerique. 

Mais  j'ai  prononcele  mot  de  patrie. — Messieurs,  qu'est- 
ce  que  la  patrie,  l'amour  de  la  patrie,  le  vrai  patriotisme? 
Qu'est-ce  que  la  patrie?  Vous  parlerai-je  des  fleuves,  des 
plaines  et  des  forets,  du  sol,  en  un  mot?  Mais  tout  cela  ce 
n'est  pas  la  patrie  de  l'homme,  c'est  la  patrie  du  boeuf,  du 
bison  et  de  l'oiseau.  A  l'homme,  etre  intelligent  et  moral, 
cree  a  l'iniage  de  Dieu,  oui,  a  l'homme  il  faut  une  bien 
autre  patrie.  Avec  ces  fleuves,  ces  plaines  et  ces  forets, 
avant  et  par-dessus  toutes  choses,  il  lui  faut  des  joies,  des 
perils  et  des  interets  communs,  des  mceurs,  des  lois,  des 
traditions,  des  vertus,  des  eglises ;  il  lui  faut  un  Dieu  pro- 
fondement  craint,  profondement  aime. 

La  patrie,  nous  dit  un  grand  publiciste  contemporain, 
n'est  pas  ou  l'homme  trouve  en  abondance  1'aliment  qui  le 
nourrit  et  les  arts  qui  le  captivent ;  car  il  ne  vit  pa$  seule- 
ment  dc  pain  et  <!<•  spectacles.  Elle  n'est  pas  meme  dans  le 
pays  ou  il  a  regu  le  jour  et  l'education,  ou  sont  ses  amis, 


174  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

ses  parents  les  plus  ckers,  ou  reposent  les  cendres  de  ses 
peres,  ou  il  fit  l'apprentissage  et  l'essai  des  vertus  et  de  la 
gloire.  La  patrie,  en  tant  qu'elle  est  sacree  et  qu'elle  doit 
etre  cherie  et  defendue,  est  dans  le  pays  ou  le  beau  le  Men, 
le  bon  sont  en  bonheur,  ou  la  verite  est  connue  et  la  vertu 
toleree. 

Et,  en  effet,  Messieurs,  ou  serait  la  patrie  s'il  n'y  avait 
pas  des  lois  ou  si  les  lois  n'etaient  pas  executees?  Non,  il 
ne  faut  pas  prendre  le  sol  pour  la  patrie.  L'idee  de  patrie 
est  une  idee  complexe ;  l'amour  de  la  patrie  se  compose,  pour 
les  societes  civilisees,  de  la  religion,  des  lois,  des  inoeurs, 
des  souvenirs  et  des  esperances,  du  passe  et  de  l'avenir. 
On  peut  distinguer  trois  patries,  celle  du  coeur,  celle  du 
devoir  et  celle  de  l'interet.  Je  regretterai  toujours  la  pre- 
miere, la  patrie  du  coeur,  parce  que  je  suis  homme  et  que 
rien  de  riiomme  ne  m'est  etranger ;  j'abandonnerai  au  plus 
grand  nombre,  a  la  foule  cupide  et  materialiste,  la  patrie 
de  l'interet,  et  je  m'attaclierai  inviolablement  a  la  patrie  du 
devoir  et  du  sacrifice.  Oui,  le  vrai  patriotisme  est  un  sen- 
timent a  la  fois  naturel,  politique  et  religieux,  et  voila  ce 
qui  explique  la  superiorite  des  Chretiens  dans  leur  amour 
pour  la  patrie;  voila  ce  qui  explique  Phero'isme  de  leurs 
vertus  et  de  leurs  sacrifices,  la  Constance  de  leur  abnega- 
tion. 

"Les  Aimericains,  dit  Tocqueville,  conf  ondent,  si  comple- 
"tement  dans  leur  esprit  le  christianisme  et  la  liberte  (et 
"moi  j'ajouterai  le  patriotisme),  qu'il  est  presque  impos- 
"posil>le  de  leur  faire  concevoir  l'un  sans  l'autre;  et  ce  n'est 
"point  chez  eux  l'une  de  ces  croyances  que  le  passe  legue 


POET-MISSIONAKT    OF     LOUISIANA.  175 

"au  present,  et  qui  semble  moins  vivre  que  vegeter  au  fond 
"de  Fame." 

Quels  sont  done  nos  devoirs  envers  la  patrie?  Nous  lui 
devons  nos  biens,  nos  talents,  notre  vie.  Nous  lui  devons 
nos  biens,  e'est  le  plus  petit  sacrifice.  Le  bien,  l'interet 
particulier  doit  ceder  au  bien  general.  Qui  sert  le  public 
sert  chaque  individu. 

Nous  lui  devons  nos  talents  et  notre  vie. 

"Parmi  le  peuple  de  Dieu,  nous  dit  Bossuet,  dans  les 
"besoins  de  l'Etat,  tout  le  monde  etait  oblige  d'aller  a  la 
"guerre,  et.  voila  pourquoi  les  armees  etaient  si  nom- 
"breuses."  Nous  lisons,  dans  l'Ecriture  Sainte,  que  les  sol- 
dats  couiniandes  par  Machabee  etaient  prets  a  mourir  pour 
leurs  lois  et  leur  patrie,  pro  legibus  et  patria  mori  parati. 
C'est  qu'il  est  doux,  il  est  beau  de  mourir  pour  sa  patrie, 
meme  aux  yeux  d'un  paien : 

Dulee  et  decorum  est  pro  patria  mori.     (Hor.) 

Vous  rappellerai-je  une  loi  de  la  Grece  sur  l'amour  de 
la  patrie? 

Les  jeunes  Atbeniens  parvenus  a  vingt  ans  se  conso- 
craient  a  la  patrie  en  pretant  le  serment  qui  suit :  "  Je  com- 
"battrai,  jusqu'a  mon  dernier  soupir,  pour  les  interets  de 
"la  religion  et  de  l'Etat;  je  combattrai  avec  les  autres 
"citoyens,  seul,  s'il  faut.  Je  ne  contribuerai  jamais  k  rendre 
"ma  patrie  malheureuse,  mais  je  contribuerai  de  tout  mon 
"pouvoir  a  la  rendre  florissante.  Je  serai  sounds  aux 
"magistrats  et  aux  lois."  Admirable  serment,  que  le  plus 
sublime  amour  de  la  patrie  pouvait  seul  inspirer! 


176  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

Les  Juifs,  captifs  a  Babylone,  n'ont  d'autre  joie  et 
d'autre  consolation  que  eelle  que  leur  donne  le  souvenir  de 
Jerusalem.  "Nous  nous  sommes  assis  sur  le  bord  des  f  leaves 
"de  Babylone,  disent-ils,  et  Id  nous  avons  pleure  en  nous 
"souvenant  de  Sion.  Nous  avons.  suspendu  nos  harpes  aux 
"sanies  qui  croissent  dans  la  terre  d'exil,  et  nous  sommes 
"restes  muets. . .  .  Comment  aurions-nous  chante  un 
"cantique  de  joie  dans  une  terre  d'exil?" 

Themistocle,  banni  en  Perse  ,possedant  un  immense 
territoire,  comble  de  bienfaits  par  le  roi  etranger,  oublie 
tout  ce  qui  Pentoure  dans  Magnesie,  et  demande  a  ses 
amis  de  porter  ses  os  dans  l'Attique. 

Aussi,  yous  vous  le  rappelez,  Messieurs,  Virgile,  le 
cygne  harmonieux  de  Mantoue,  voulant  peindre  le  tendre 
et  imperissable  amour  d'un  citoyen  vertueux  pour  sa 
patrie,  Virgile  nous  montre  un  jeune  Grec  mourant  sur 
une  terre  etrangere,  et,  au  moment  qu'il  expire,  occupe  du 
seul  souvenir  de  sa  chere  Argos : 

Ea  dulces  moriens  remiuiscitur  Argos. 

Thebes,  s'ecriait  Pindare,  6  ma  mere! 

Mais,  apres  ces  exemples  touchants  de  l'antiquite  sacree 
et  poetique,  permittez-moi,  Messieurs,  de  vous  citer  Fex- 
emple  non  moins  touchant  d'un  jeune  Sauvage  exile  a  Paris. 
II  se  nommait  Potaveri :  ce  nom  est  devenu  synonyme 
d'amour  de  la  patrie.  Cet  enfant  exile  etait  triste,  malade 
et  languissant;  il  ne  pouvait  se  consoler  d'etre  si  loin  de  la 
foret  natale.  Pour  le  distraire,  Pamitie  ingenieuse  et  deli- 
cate, apres  l'avoir  promene  dans  le  Musee  et  les  galeries  du 


POET-MISSIONAKY     OF     LOUISIANA.  177 

Louvre,  imagina  de  le  conduire  au  Jardin  des  Plantes; 
mais  le  jeune  Sauvage  passe  avec  indifference  au  milieu  des 
plantes  et  des  animaux,  au  milieu  de  toutes  les  curiosites 
merveilleuses  que  Fart  y  a  reunies;  il  est  toujours  triste 
malade,  languissant.  Mais  tout-a-coup  il  quitte  le  bras  de 
son  ami,  il  se  precipite  vers  un  arbre  exotique,  il  se  jette 
a  genoux,  et  en  Fembrassant,  il  s'ecrie:  0  arbre  de  mon 
pays!  arbre  de  mon  pays!  et  il  retrouve  la  vie  au  pied  de 
eet  arbre  exile  comme  lui. 

Combien  de  jeunes  Creoles,  combien  de  Louisianais, 
exiles  a  Paris,  loin  du  fleuve  natal  et  des  arbres  de  la  patrie, 
loin  de  leurs  families  et  de  leurs  amis,  ont  du  pousser  le 
mem  cri  de  joie  a  la  vue  de  quelque  objet  qui  est  venu 
leur  rappeler  la  Louisiane,  la  terre  sacree  de  la  patrie. . . 
Oh!  oui,  quelle  que  soit  la  terre  qui  nous  a  vus  naitre, 
qu'elle  soit  composee  de  plaines  ou  de  montagnes,  de 
rochers  arides  ou  de  fertiles  sa vanes,  qu'elle  soit  accidentee 
ou  monotone,  riante  ou  sauvage,  cette  terre,  elle  est  sacree 
pour  nous;  cette  terre,  nous  Faimons,  nous  ne  pouvons 
Foublier ;  elle  a  ete  la  terre  de  notre  berceau,  nous  voulons 
y  mourir,  y  reposer  en  paix. 

Louisiane,  6  ma  patrie!  6  ma  mere!  quel  que  soit  le 
lieu  ou  m'exile  le  devoir  ou  le  malheur  me  pousse,  si  je 
t'oublie  jamais,  que  je  m'oublie  moi-meme! 

Je  vous  ai  parle  de  la  patrie,  de  Famour  de  la  patrie,  du 
veritable  patriotisme.  Maintenant,  qu'est-ce  que  la  liberie? 
Ubi  autem  spiritus  Dei,  ibi  libertas,  nous  dit  saint  Paul. 
La  ou  est  Fesprit  de  Dieu,  la  aussi  est  la  liberte;  c'est-a- 
dire  la  ou  est  Fesprit  d'ordre,  de  verite  et  de  vertu,  1;\  aussi 


178  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

est  la  liberte.  Obeir  a  Dieu,  c'est  etre  vraiment  libre.  Deo 
parere  libertas  est.  Ce  sont  les  paroles  de  Seneque.  La  raison 
de  l'liomme  est  emanee  de  la  raison  divine  et  souveraine, 
et  c'est  en  la  soumettant  volontairement  a  cette  raison  que 
riiomme,  creature  raisonable,  est  vraiment  libre.  La 
liberte  consiste  done  a  etre  soumis  aux  lois  eternelles  de 
l'ordre.  Quoi !  la  liberte  pourrait  consister  a  n'avoir  d'autres 
lois  que  ses  desirs  et  ses  passions,  a  faire  tout  ce  que  l'on 
veut !  Oh !  non,  messieurs,  celui  qui  fait  le  mal  est  esclave ; 
il  n'y  a  que  riiomme  de  bien,  l'homme  verteux,  qui  soit 
libre! 

La  liberte,  c'est  la  faculte  de  choisir;  mais  cette 
faculte,  remarquez-le  bien,  implique  l'obligation  de  choisir 
le  bien.  L'liomme  est  libre,  parce  qu'il  a  des  devoirs,  et 
l'exerciee  de  sa  liberte,  c'est  raccomplissement  de  ses 
devoirs. 

Non,  la  liberte  ne  consiste  pas  a  etre  affranchi  de  tous 
les  devoirs,  a  etre  independant  de  tout  superieur.  La  liberte 
la  plus  grande,  la  plus  pure,  a  laquelle  l'liomme  puisse 
aspirer  raisonnablement,  c'est  de  vivre  sous  un  gouverne- 
ment.  juste.  II  n'y  a  de  vraie  liberte  que  la  oii  regne  la 
justice,  la  justice  que  Ciceron  appelle  la  reine  et  la 
maitresse  de  toutes  les  vertus:  liace  enim  una  virtus 
omnium  est  domina  et  regina  dilution. 

Mais  avec  1'amour  de  la  patrie,  avec  la  liberte  et  la 
justice,  il  faut  le  courage.  Qu'est-ce  que  le  courage,  Mes- 
sieurs? Le  courage,  sur  le  champ  de  bataille,  n'est  souvent 
que  l'effet  momentane  d'une  ardeur  beliiquese,  d'une  sur- 
excitation  causee  par  le  bruit  des  amies,  le  mouvement  de 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  179 

l'armee  et  meme  l'odeur  de  la  poudre.  Mais  il  est  un 
courage  plus  calme,  plus  constant,  plus  difficile,  et  par 
cela  meme  plus  rare,  c'est  le  courage  civil,  le  courage 
politique,  le  courage  moral  qui  resiste  aux  menaces,  aux 
promesses,  a  toutes  les  seductions.  Le  courage  dans  les 
cliambres,  dans  la  magistrature,  dans  toutes  les  positions 
sociales  ou  il  y  a  de  grands  devoirs  a  remplir,  de  grands 
sacrifices  a  s'imposer,  et  ou  Ton  rencontre  des  perils  sans 
nombre  qu'il  faut  affronter.  Je  ne  vous  parle  pas  du 
courage  religieux ;  celui-la  est  invincible ;  il  brave  les  tyrans 
et  les  bourreaux,  la  hache  et  le  feu ;  il  triomplie  de  toutes 
les  tortures  et  se  rejouit  sous  la  palme  du  martyre. 

Amour  de  la  patrie,  liberte,  justice  et  courage,  voila, 
Messieurs,  les  vertus  republicaines  les  plus  vitales.  Les 
peuples,  comme  les  individus,  ne  vivent  pas  seulement  de 
pain  et  de  spectacles ;  le  bien-etre  materiel  n'est  pas  le  seul 
bien-etre  qu'ils  recberchent.  Les  peuples,  comme  les  indi- 
vidus, vivent  de  verite  et  de  vertu.  II  faut  que  Dieu  preside 
a  leurs  hautes  destinees,  il  faut  qu'il  les  eclaire  et  les  guide 
dans  leur  marclie  vers  un  avenir  de  bonheur  et  de  gloire. 

Je  le  sais,  Messieurs,  il  y  a  eu  de  l'echo  aujourd  hui, 
sous  cette  votfte  sacree,  toutes  les  fois  que  j'ai  prononce  les 
mots  de  patrie  et  de  liberte. .  .Mais,  plaise  a  Dieu  qu'il  ait 
eu  aussi  un  echo  intime  et  universel  toutes  les  fois  que  j'ai 
prononce  le  mot  de  religion!  ("est  que  la  religion,  c'est  la 
base  des  moeurs  et  des  lois,  c'est  la  sauve-garde  de  la  justice 
et  de  la  liberte,  c'est  le  palladium  des  republiques  commes 
des  monarchies. 

Vous   avez    sans   doute   compris  et  admire  les  trois 


180  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     EOUQUETTE, 

couleurs  symboliques  du  drapeau  americain.  Le  fond 
d'azur,  seme  d'etoiles,  nous  rappelle  le  ciel,  la  patrie  de 
notre  ame  immortelle;  le  rouge,  couleur  eelatante  du 
martyre,  marque  que  nous  devons  etre  toujours  prets  k 
verser  notre  sang  pour  notre  patrie,  a  mourir  glorieuse- 
ment  pour  la  republique;  et  le  Wane,  la  couleur  virginale, 
nous  commande  la  bonne  foi  et  Fincorruptibilite  dans 
toutes  nos  relations  commerciales,  civiles  et  politiques; 
dans  toutes  nos  relations  d'amitie  et  d'interet. 

O  mes  chers  concitoyens,  oserai-je  le  predire,  le  pro- 
clamer  avec  une  conviction  profonde  du  haut  de  cette 
chaire:  un  jour  viendra  ou  Tor  et  les  plaisirs  cesseront 
d'etre  le  mobile  le  plus  puissant  de  notre  societe;  la  re- 
ligion se  propagera,  elle  regnera  parmi  nous;  Fesprit  de 
Dieu  penetrera  dans  le  cceur  de  cette  societe  nouvelle,  et 
il  y  aura  encore  de  nobles  devouements,  des  vertus 
heroiques:  le  genie  et  la  vertu  sont  imperissables  dans 
Fhumanite ;  comme  la  mer,  ils  n'abandonnent  un  rivage  que 
pour  se  porter  vers  un  autre  rivage ;  le  feu  sacre  de  l'amour 
de  la  patrie,  de  la  justice  et  de  la  liberte  ne  s'eteint  dans 
un  cceur  que  pour  se  rallumer  dans  un  autre.  Oui,  e'est 
une  loi  de  Fordre  providentiel,  qu'a  des  mondes  viellis 
succede  un  nouveau  monde. . . 

L'Amerique  est  jeune,  PAmerique  est  grande  et  forte ; 
l'Amerique  est  appelee  a  de  magniflques  destinees ;  la  civili- 
sation, comme  le  soleil,  marche  FOrient  en  Occident. 
Sparte,  Athenes,  Thebes,  Carthage,  ne  sont  plus;  mais 
l'Amerique  a  surgi  du  sein  de  FAtlantique.  Le  passe,  les 
souvenirs  sont  pour  FOrient ;  Favenir,  les  esperances  pour 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  181 

l'Occident.  Oui,  c'est  ma  conviction  profonde,  une  haute 
et  glorieuse  mission  est  reserves  au  Nouveau-Monde; 
FAnierique  est  heritiere  de  toutes  les  gloires  et  de  toutes 
les  vertus  des  anciennes  republiques;  mais  ces  gloires  et 
ces  vertus,  il  faut  qu'elles  soient  divinisees  par  la  religion, 
eh  bien,  la  religion  les  divinisera. 

Mais  on  parle  de  l'etendue  des  Etats-Unis,  et  en  lisant 
l'liistorie  des  republiques  anciennes,  on  s'en  effraie,  on 
tremble  pour  notre  avenir.  L'etendue,  Messieurs,  l'etendue 
depuis  l'application  de  la  vapeur  ale  navigation  etde  l'elec- 
tricite aux  telegraphes?  Depuis  que  la  vapeur  est  venue  au 
secours  du  corps  et  l'electricite  au  secours  de  la  pensee? 
L'etendue!  Mais  voyez  done  comme  la  pensee  de  l'homme 
parcourt  ce  fil  electrique,  aussi  rapide  que  l'eclair  qui 
sillonne  et  illumine  l'espace!  Voyez  toutes  ces  populations 
que  les  bateaux  et  les  chars  animes  emportent  avec  une 
vitesse  presque  indicible!  Oui,  une  chaine  electrique 
traverse  les  Etats-Unis ;  les  chemins  de  fer  aboutissent  aux 
fleuves;  les  bateaux  et  les  chars  se  rencontrent  et  se  croi- 
sent  partout  l'esprit  a  vaincu  la  matiere;  l'homme  est 
maitre  de  l'espace!  Oui,  ce  que  Tertullien  a  dit  des  esprits : 
omnis  spiritus  ales,  tout  esprit  a  des  ailes,  aujourd'huit 
nous  pouvons  le  dire  des  corps :  le  vapeur  a  donne  des  ailes 
au  corps,  et  l'electricite,  des  ailes  a  la  pensee! 

Oui,  l'esprit  a  vaincu  la  matiere;  le  genie  de  rhommea 
dompte  l'orgueil  des  vents  et  des  flots ;  il  a  aplani  les  mon- 
tagnes  et  comme  efface  les  distances.  Mais  ce  triomphe 
de  l'esprit  sur  la  matiere,  ces  progres  de  la  science  et  de 
l'industrie  modernes,  seront-ils  toujours  exploites  au  seul 


182  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

profit  des  passions  infimes  et  des  besoins  materiels  de 
1'homme?  Oh!  Messieurs,  je  proteste,  an  nom  de  Tame  et 
de  Pintelligence,  au  nom  du  genie,  qui  est  lui  aussi  une 
sorte  d'inspiration  divine ;  je  proteste,  au  nom  de  la  philo- 
sophic et  de  la  religion,  oui,  je  proteste  eontre  cet  alms  de 
la  science  et  de  l'industrie  modernes !  La  science  est  bonne, 
Tindustrie  est  un  moyen  de  prosperite;  mais  il  faut  pour 
cela  qu'elles  servent  au  developpement  des  nobles  facultes 
que  nous  avons  reciies  de  Dieu. 

Messieurs,  il  n'y  a  de  bonheur  pour  les  peuples,  comme 
pour  les  individus;  il  n'y  a  de  force,  de  grandeur,  de 
gloire  veritables  que  dans  la  vertu :  la  vertu  est  Tame  de  la 
societe;  et,  croyez-le,  il  n'y  a  de  vertu  solide,  constante, 
incorruptible,  immortelle,  que  dans  la  religion :  la  religion 
est  Fame  de  la  vertu ! 

Keligion,  amour  de  la  patrie,  justice,  liberteet  courage, 
voila  done  les  mots  que  je  voudrais  voir  scintiller,  en  letters 
radieuses,  sur  le  drapeau  de  la  republique  de  Washington. 

"O  republique  de  Washington!  s'est  eerie  Lacordaire, 
"cet  eloquent  apdtre  de  la  jeunesse  franchise,  que  n'a 
"tourne  ses  yeux  vers  toi  dans  ces  moments  ou  la  patrie 
"fatigue !  Qui  ne  s'est  assis,  dans  la  pensee,  a  l'ombre  des 
"forets  et  des  lois  de  PAmeriqueL  . ." 


ADDENDA. 


POEM  OF  ABBE   ROUQUETTE. 

S.    B.    E. 
TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  FRENCH 

Adrien,  Son !  Can  the  sad  words  be  true, 

Yon  are  scorning-  the  language  your  infancy  knew? 

Does  the  cold  Saxon  speech  appeal  to  your  heart, 

Where  only  the  music  of  France  once  had  part? 

Do  you  forget  how  my  love  was  expressed 

In  the  songs  which  I  sang  as  you  lay  on  my  breast? 

Has  French  lost  to  you  all  its  melody  rare? 

Do  you  no  more  for  its  harmony  care? 
And  the  voice  of  your  Muse !     It  gave  you,  my  son, 

All  the  honor  and  glory  your  verses  have  won. 
Then  scorn  not  the  language  you  lisped  in  your  youth ; 
It  taught  you  the  lessons  of  virtue  and  truth. 
Heed  a  mother's  fond  prayer,  be  it  answered  by  you, 
To  God,  to  your  country,  to  me,  this  is  due! 


184  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

The  following  partial  Addenda  of  Choctaw  words, 
written  by  Abbe  Rouquette's  own  hand,  show  a  beautiful 
devotion  to  a  mother's  wishes  and  a  touching  promptness 
in  obeying  them.  She  had  pleaded  with  her  poet-son  (see 
poem )  never  to  prefer  the  Saxon  tongue  to  his  own  native 
French. 

Notice  how  the  translation  of  the  Choctaw  vocabulary 
opens  with  five  words  in  English,  then  suddenly  that 
language  ceases,  and  is  not  used  again  in  the  entire  work 
of  many  hundred  words! 

EXTRACT   FROM   VOCABULARY. 


Toli stone 

I  hullo,  hih  ahni love  (verb) 

Nan  i  hullo,  heh  ahni love  (noun) 

Uba  anumpa  iksa To  play  tricks 

Iti  wisakchi  tree  top 

Shutik ciel 

Nishkobo tete 

Ikoula gosier 

Noti dent 

Sinti serpent 

Shiluk fosse 

Hopi sel 

Chukush coeur 

Ofi chien 

Kattus chat 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  185 

Luak feW 

/  holisso  epitre 

Apostel apotre 

Oka eau 

Umbra pluie 

Hushi soleil 

Yakni terre 

Itih couche 

Lusa noir 

Huma rouge 

Lakna jaime 

Kapossa froid 

Oktak prairie 

Tumaha ville 

Isuba cheval 

Shukha cochon 

Nita ours 

Nashoba loup 

Chula renard 

Hushi oiseau 

Noni poisson 

Itibi baton 

Peni vaisseau 

^ pied 

Shakba bras 

^ipi viandre 

Hakshup peau 

Hatak honmie 


186  LIFE     OF     THE     ABBE     ROUQUETTE, 

Iki pere 

Ishki mere 

nusi dormir 

Hotupa douleur 

Itakobi paresseur 

Tikambi f  aible 

Onna matin 

Opia soir 

Hocha riviere 

Noli dos 

Ibbak main 

Akakushi poule 

Iskifa liaclie 

Yok joug 

Chito grand 

Iskitini petit 

Hof  obi prof  ond 

Kofota •  •  • vapenr 

Hokchi planter 

Klampko puissance 

Hoyo eliercher 

Ho  po  yuk  sa sage 

Nakf  e f  rere 

Tchouka-hanta calybite  qui 

habite   une 
cabane 

No-houllo un  blanc 

Ialeshke adieu 


POET-MISSIONARY     OF     LOUISIANA.  187 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  Choctaws  had  single  words 
for  our  complicated  expressions  of  relationship. 

For  instance :    Brother-in-law  was  "imalak." 
Sister-in-law  was  "ipo." 
Uncle-in-law  was  "iki." 
His  step-son  was  "ushitoba." 
Her  father-in-law  was  "imafo." 
His  father-in-law  was  "ipohchi." 
Her  mother-in-law  was  "ipokni." 
Her  younger  sister  was  "nakfish." 
Her  eldest  sister  was  "akni." 


THE  LIBRARY 
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